High-speed route Cologne – Rhine / Main

High-speed route Cologne – Rhine / Main
Route number (DB) :	2651 Cologne-Deutz (h) –Köln Steinstrasse 2660 Cologne-Deutz (t) –Köln Gummersbacher Str. 2690 Cologne Steinstrasse – Frankfurt (Main) Stadion 3509 Breckenheim – Wiesbaden-Kinzenberg 3656 Frankfurt (Main) Airport – Zeppelinheim
Course book section (DB) :	472
Route length:	180 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Route class :	D4
Power system :	15 kV 16.7 Hz  ~
Maximum slope :	40  ‰
Minimum radius :	3348 m
Top speed:	300 km / h
Train control :	LZB
Dual track :	continuous
Legend Routes from Mainz , from Aachen , from Krefeld Köln Hbf Hohenzollern Bridge 0.0 Cologne fair / Deutz from Cologne-Mülheim Route to Cologne-Mülheim Cologne Posthof (Abzw) S-Bahn line to Cologne-Mülheim 1.2 Cologne Gummersbacher Str. (Abzw) 1.9 Cologne Trimbornstr. Freight line from the south bridge 2.2 Cologne-Kalk (formerly PV) Freight route to Cologne-Kalk Nord Freight route Gremberg – Cologne-Kalk Nord Connection route from Cologne-Kalk Nord 3.9 Cologne Vingst (Abzw) Cologne Northeast Airport (Abzw) to the route to Overath , airport loop (S-Bahn) 4.5 Cologne Airport Northwest (Abzw) Airport loop (long-distance traffic) 6.1 Cologne Airport Business Park 8.0 Cologne Steinstr. Bypass route from the south bridge 9.2 7.8 Cologne Steinstr. Abzw (today start of SFS) Freight line from Gremberg Gremberg South (Abzw) 9.6 Porz (Rhine) Hp 9.6 Porz (Rhine) Airport loop (long-distance traffic) Airport loop (S-Bahn) 12.4 Porz madness 15.6         Porz-Wahn South (Abzw) A 59 16.9 Speak Kleinbahn Siegburg – Zündorf Troisdorf tunnel (627 m) 18.0 Troisdorf Vorbf 18.4 Troisdorf North (Abzw) 19.7 Troisdorf Right section of the Rhine (formerly connecting curve) Agger 26.0 24.3 Siegburg / Bonn Victory route to Siegen Start of the new line 27.4 →00 Siegauentunnel (2,502 m) 37.6 Hasenpohl Viaduct (127 m) 39.2 Ittenbach tunnel (1,145 m) 40.6 Trough structure landscape bridge (255 m) 41.1 Logebachtal Bridge (173 m) 41.3 Aegidienberg tunnel (1,240 m) 42.9 Kluse trough structure (198 m) 43.1 Cookingbachtal Bridge (150 m) 44.5 Rottbitzetunnel (990 m) National border NW - RP 46.6 Windhagen intersection structure (400 m) 47.8 Fischerhaus Viaduct (344 m) 48.6 Günterscheid tunnel (1,130 m) 50.0 Hallerbachtal Bridge (992 m) 51.4 Wiedtal Bridge (387 m) 53.0 Ammerichtunnel (755 m), A3 53.8 Fernstaltunnel (1,555 m), A3 58.8 Dasbachtalbrücke (218 m) 61.5 Practice Willroth 75.6 Kutscheid valley bridge (67 m) 76.4 Deesen tunnel (338 m) 78.2 Oberhaider Forest Tunnel (1,270 m) 83.1 Westerburg ↔ Herborn route 83.8 Dernbacher Tunnel (3,285 m), A 48 and A 3 Unterwesterwaldbahn to Siershahn 89.1 Montabaur (former / new Bf) Unterwesterwaldbahn to Limburg 89.9 Himmelberg Tunnel (2,395 m) 92.5 Wahnscheidtunnel (735 m) 93.3 Dickheck Tunnel (570 m) 93.9 Eisenbachtal Bridge (138 m) 94.1 Eichheid Tunnel (1,750 m) 96.2 Wiesengrund valley bridge (338 m) 96.7 Eichen-Diekenscheid-Tunnel (400 m) 97.5 Lange Issel (1,015 m), A 3 National border RP - HE 100.4 Elzer Berg tunnel (1,110 m), A3 105.8 Limburg – Altenkirchen railway line 106.8 Limburg Tunnel (2,395 m), A3 109.2 Lahntal Bridge (438 m) Lahn Lahntalbahn Koblenz – Limburg – Wetzlar 110.5 Limburg South 113.0 Üst Lindenholzhausen 115.3 Wörsbachtal Bridge (528 m) 126.9 Crossing structure Hessenweiler (368 m), A3 128.6 Roter Graben valley bridge (132 m) 129.3 Wallbachtal Bridge (534 m) 130.6 Wörsdorfer Tunnel (525 m), A3 133.8 Idstein tunnel (2,069 m) 137.0 Ust Idstein 138.0 Niedernhausen tunnel (2,765 m), A 3 141.6 Theiss valley bridge (484 m) 142.9 Hellenberg Tunnel (552 m) Ländchesbahn Wiesbaden – Niedernhausen 145.4 Schulwaldtunnel (4,500 m), A3 151.4 Breckenheim tunnel (1,150 m) 152.6 Breckenheim (Abzw) Route to Wiesbaden A 66 Wallauer Spange (planned) Taunus Railway Wiesbaden – Frankfurt Main bridge Eddersheim (324 m) Ticonabrücke (167 m) 161.5 Raunheim Caltex (Abzw) Route to Raunheim fountain lane Caltex bridge (351 m), Mainbahn (see below) Route from Raunheim Mönchwald 163.4 Raunheim Mönchhof (Abzw) 167.1 Kelsterbach Tunnel (994 m) Airport loop Frankfurt (from Mainbahn , see above) 0.0 168.8 (Start of branch line to Zeppelinheim) 0.5 169.3 Frankfurt am Main Airport Fernbf Frankfurt (Main) Flughafen Regionalbf Airport loop Frankfurt (to the Mainbahn ) 1.5 170.3 Frankfurter-Kreuz-Tunnel (1,559 or 1,883 m) Frankfurter Kreuz , A 3 and A 5 171.4 Üst Frankfurter Kreuz 4.8 173.6 Riedbahn Zeppelinheim – Frankfurt Stadium Swell:

The high-speed line Cologne – Rhein / Main is a 180-kilometer German railway - high-speed line for long-distance passenger transport . It leads from Cologne via Siegburg , Montabaur , Limburg and Frankfurt Airport to Frankfurt am Main . The Breckenheim – Wiesbaden railway connects Wiesbaden and the Cologne / Bonn airport can be reached via the Cologne airport loop .

The route between Siegburg and Frankfurt Airport, which can be driven at 300 km / h, connects the two largest German metropolitan regions, the Rhine-Ruhr and Frankfurt / Rhine-Main, with around 15 million inhabitants . It shortens the travel time on numerous national and international routes by around an hour compared to the Left Rhine route . The shortest scheduled travel times between Cologne Central Station and Frankfurt Airport are 47 minutes in the 2017 timetable and 62 minutes to Frankfurt Central Station .

As the first German new line, it was intended exclusively for (passenger) high-speed traffic. More generous route parameters ( longitudinal inclinations of up to 40 per thousand and tighter curves with a correspondingly greater elevation ) prevent the use of heavy locomotive-hauled passenger and freight trains.

For the first time, the new type of slab track was built over almost the entire length and the route was upgraded for the unrestricted use of eddy current brakes . Another special feature is the close bundling of traffic routes with the A3 . It was also unique that the route was only used in regular operation by one type of vehicle, the ICE 3, until 2018 .

The line was built from 1995 to 2002, but the beginning of the line (node) Cologne - Cologne Steinstraße junction has not yet been built. The total costs to date are given by Deutsche Bahn AG at 6.0 billion euros. Around 220 million travelers were transported in the first 15 years of operation.

The new line emerged from the new lines Cologne – Groß-Gerau and Cologne – Koblenz planned in the 1970s and 1980s .

course

Course in Cologne

The high-speed line begins to this day at the provisional start of the route at the Cologne Steinstraße junction at route km 9.2 in the Cologne-Porz district . It is planned to extend the route backwards to Cologne Messe / Deutz station (deep) .

Until the current start of the route, the trains in the Cologne city area are currently running on two (formerly three) different routes:

• The direct route (9.0 kilometers) leads from Cologne Central Station in an easterly direction over the Hohenzollern Bridge and the tracks of the Sieg line to the start of the high-speed line.
• Trains on the ICE line 41 (Dortmund / Essen – Nuremberg – Munich) and individual trains on the ICE line 10 (Berlin – Cologne / Bonn Airport) bypass the congested Cologne main station via the Köln Messe station, which is 1.2 kilometers east of the main station / Deutz . The access to the high-speed route is shortened to 7.8 kilometers and avoids the Hohenzollern Bridge, which can sometimes only be driven at 30 km / h.
• In order to bypass the congested Hohenzollern Bridge, some of the ICE trains ran from Cologne Central Station on the longer and slower route over the Südbrücke until 2008 . The 13.8 kilometer route leads west out of the main station.

Even before the current start of the high-speed line, the 15.2 kilometer long airport loop to connect the Cologne / Bonn Airport train station is coming out of the track coming from Cologne Central Station / Messe / Deutz.

High-speed tracks between the tracks of the right Rhine route (left) and those of the victory route (right), near Cologne-Porz

In Cologne-Porz, the upgraded line to Siegburg , which can be driven at 200 km / h and was built between the tracks of the Sieg line and those of the right Rhine line, begins . The airport loop threads into Cologne-Porz-Wahn before the line in the Troisdorf tunnel passes under the connecting tracks between the parallel Rhine and Sieg lines. The right-hand Rhine route then leaves the bundled route and leads via Bonn-Beuel to Koblenz .

In the course of the new line, the existing line between Cologne-Porz and Troisdorf was expanded from four to six, and in the subsequent section to Siegburg from two to four tracks.

Course of the high-speed route

The Siegburg / Bonn station (km 24) marks the beginning of the new line. The station connects Bonn Central Station to the new line via the tram line 66 in 25 minutes . The 143.3 kilometer long new line to Frankfurt Airport begins east of the train station. The route moves away in the Siegauentunnel (approx. 50 meters above sea level) in a south-easterly direction from the victory route. The maximum permissible speed is initially 250 km / h, and finally 300 km / h. South of the tunnel, the route reaches the federal motorway 3 , which it follows in parallel in long sections to the airport long-distance train station .

Hasenpohl Viaduct

ICE 3 towards Frankfurt on the Wiedtalbrücke

The route climbs significantly in the following Siebengebirge towards Westerwald and here for the first time reaches the maximum gradient of 40 per mille. After around 15 kilometers, the climb takes place in the Rottbitzetunnel to around 300 meters above sea level. NN a temporary end and then turns back into a slope. On the Hallerbachtalbrücke , the longest railway overpass on the route at 992 meters, the route in the Wiedtal falls further south to around 170 meters above sea level. NN. Just at the same height as the motorway running parallel to the east, it rises again at 4% on the Wiedtalbrücke and in the Ammerichtunnel . South of the Dasbachtalbrücke (at the Neuwied motorway junction ) in front of the Willroth transfer point , the highest point of the route is around 370 meters above sea level. NN reached. This is followed by a largely tunnel-free section, which largely slopes down towards the south. In the Oberhaider-Wald-Tunnel the route climbs again, crosses the railway line Engers-Siershahn and falls again in the south of the 3285-meter-long Dernbacher Tunnel .

An ICE passes through the Montabaur station without stopping. The platform tracks are to the left and right of the continuous main tracks.

The following Montabaur station , at route kilometer 88, is roughly in the middle of the high-speed line. You can change trains in the direction of Siershahn and Limburg an der Lahn . Like the Limburg Süd and Siegburg / Bonn stations, the station is only served by some of the long-distance trains. Trains can pass through the station without reducing speed at 300 km / h on the central, continuous main tracks .

The Eisenbachtal bridge between Montabaur and Limburg

Numerous engineering structures follow, in which the route separates from the more extensive motorway. Shortly before the Elzer-Berg tunnel (km 100), the border between Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse is crossed. The route now drops again while the route turns away from the trunk road. At Elz , the route again reaches the parallel position and runs at approximately the same height as the motorway. In the Limburg tunnel , the route climbs again, crosses under the A 3 and temporarily leaves the traffic route bundling. After crossing the Lahntalbrücke , the Limburg Süd station (route kilometer 110) is the only German station where only ICE trains stop.

As the route continues, the route climbs, hugs the A 3 at Lindenholzhausen in a westerly direction and is quite even at times in the beginning of the Taunus . In the further course the route moves away from the autobahn again, finally reaches the minimum distance to the autobahn again at the height of the lovely mountain and runs in an incision near Bad Camberg to shield the spa town from noise. After the 534 meter long Wallbachtalbrücke follows the Idsteiner tunnel , the Niedernhausen tunnel and the Theiss valley bridge . In the Hellenberg and Schulwald tunnels , the longest tube on the route at 4,500 meters, the route slopes down. After passing the Breckenheim tunnel (1150 meters), at the Breckenheim junction (kilometer 152.5), a 13.0 kilometer long connection, which can be driven at speeds of up to 160 km / h, connects to the Wiesbaden main station . The branch is designed structurally so that trains the Wiesbaden head station must pass in order in the direction of Mainz / Mannheim continue, originally planned direct connection bypassing the Wiesbaden main station was not executed.

Schematic layout plan of the railway facilities at Frankfurt Airport: The high-speed route is shown in red.

After crossing the Wiesbaden autobahn junction, the route moves up to 400 meters away from the A 3 and reaches ground level a little later. After passing the Main Bridge Eddersheim and the Ticonabrücke , a connecting curve leads to Kelsterbach , which can be used by long-distance trains to and from Frankfurt when the airport long-distance train station is closed. While the maximum permissible speed in the following curve (kilometer 160) is limited to 220 km / h and later to 160 km / h, the Raunheim Mönchwald – Raunheim Mönchhof railway joins the line from the northwest , the Mainz and the left Rhine line to the Airport long-distance train station, which is reached at kilometer 169. Over the following Frankfurter-Kreuz-Tunnel the line threads into the Riedbahn , direction north (Frankfurt Hbf, Frankfurt Süd ) and south (direction Mannheim ).

Of the 219 kilometers of the route (including junctions and the Cologne / Bonn airport loop), 42.1 kilometers run at ground level, 72.8 kilometers in the cut, 51.4 kilometers in the embankment, 46.7 kilometers in 30 tunnels and 6.0 kilometers on 18 valley bridges. In addition, six tunnel-like trough and crossing structures (from 200 to 525 meters in length) were built. The large number of tubes along the route is due to the bundling of traffic routes, but also to ecology and emissions protection as well as compromise solutions with local residents and local authorities.

history

background

→ Main article : New Cologne – Groß-Gerau line

As early as 1850, a railway line through Westerwald and Taunus , via Deutz , Siegburg , Hachenburg , Limburg and Wiesbaden was considered. Mainly for strategic reasons, the decision was made to run along the left bank of the Rhine, today's Left Rhine route .

In 1963, Franz Kruckenberg presented a concept for a high-speed railway from Frankfurt to Cologne, which was to run on the right bank of the Rhine and largely based on the motorway and airports.

In a study presented to the board of the Deutsche Bundesbahn in 1964, different variants of new lines to bypass the left Rhine line, the most heavily used line in the F-Zug network at the time , were examined:

• A 63 kilometer long new line was to be unwound north of Koblenz from the left Rhine route (at route km 83), cross the Rhine at Niederwerth and lead via Bad Ems and Niedernhausen to Frankfurt am Main. The costs were roughly estimated at 23 million DM per kilometer.
• a 140-kilometer-long variant of the new route would have started at the foot of the Venusberg , would have crossed the Rhine between Bonn and Godesberg and would have led to Frankfurt along the federal highway 3 via Limburg and Camberg. The cost per kilometer was estimated at 20 million DM per kilometer.
• one also 140 km long new line was between Bonn and Dillenburg planned to the victory path to get around. The cost per kilometer of this variant was estimated at around 20 million DM per kilometer.
• Finally, a new line of around 230 kilometers from Dortmund / Hamm via Dillenburg to Frankfurt was worked out. The cost of this project was estimated at around DM 2 billion.

These variants were discarded due to their inadequate benefit in relation to the associated costs.

In 1970, as part of the expansion program for the network of the German Federal Railroad , the DB presented the project for the extension of the Cologne – Groß-Gerau line . A major reason for the plan was the overloading of the two existing Rhine stretches. The route only corresponded to the route realized around 30 years later for the first few kilometers from Cologne Central Station. The only intermediate stop for passenger trains was planned to be the Bonn-Beuel station to be expanded; the cities of Frankfurt am Main, Wiesbaden and Mainz were to be connected to the Taunus railway via two connecting curves. In Groß-Gerau (near Darmstadt ), the line was to flow into the Riedbahn, which was to be expanded for 200 km / h .

The new line was included in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan in 1973 , but due to regional resistance and disputes about the route, it finally fell behind the high-speed lines Hanover – Würzburg and Mannheim – Stuttgart , which were built in 1973 and 1976 respectively. The project was finally deleted from the federal transport infrastructure planning.

A new Cologne – Koblenz line was included as a new project in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan in 1980, but its specific planning was initially postponed in favor of the new Hanover – Würzburg line. A decision about the continuation of the planning should be made as part of the update to the next federal transport infrastructure plan. In 1985, a new line between Cologne and Frankfurt, with an approximately 20 kilometer long Taunus tunnel, was planned and approved by the Federal Cabinet.

In the mid-1980s, preliminary studies on various route options finally led to the registration of a new Cologne – Siegburg – Limburg – Frankfurt line by the then Federal Railroad for the 1985 Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan . Very different statements of the three federal states passed through led to an inclusion in the plan, but with an open, more precisely investigated route with a planning corridor of possible routes. The realization of the new line was given the highest priority. The benefit-cost ratio was 4.0. The approximately 140-kilometer route was considered the most important new rail transport project in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan in 1985. Due to the high costs of a route that was equally suitable for passenger and freight trains, the Federal Railroad rejected such plans in 1986 and has since advocated a pure passenger route to the right of the Rhine.

In the planning phase, the Bundesbahn described the Cologne – Rhine / Main route as "the connection between the most important conurbations in Germany and (...) the strongest traffic flow in Europe." At the end of the 1980s, almost three lived in the Rhine / Main area and in the Rhine / Ruhr area -Area around ten million people. The travel time between the main train stations in Cologne and Frankfurt was around 135 minutes. The authority also justified the need for a new line with the high load on the existing lines: At the end of the 1980s, a total of up to 600 trains ran daily on the left and right Rhine lines; taking into account the operational quality, the performance limit was exceeded. The railway hoped that the new line would increase the number of passengers by 50 to 100 percent, while relieving road and air traffic by around 15,000 to 30,000 passengers per day.

In the 1980s, however, the left Rhine route increasingly developed into the bottleneck in the German railway network. As early as 1970, on 252 working days with full freight traffic, an average of 121 trains per day and direction were running on the Left Rhine route between Bonn and Bad Godesberg; on the right Rhine route (between Troisdorf and Unkel ) the load was 145 trains. At the end of the 1980s, around 70 percent of the trains between Cologne and Frankfurt ran on the left Rhine route, around a third - mostly freight trains - on the right Rhine route.

The forecasts on which the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1992 is based assumed an increase in long-distance rail passenger transport between Cologne and the Rhine / Main area from 1988 to 2010 by up to 100 percent, to more than 25 million passenger journeys per year, while for the entire German region Long-distance rail passenger transport an average increase of 40 percent was expected. 88 long-distance passenger trains and three freight trains per day and direction were calculated. In mid-1994, Deutsche Bahn reckoned with 79 long-distance passenger trains, the freight trains were no longer available. The segregation of fast and slow traffic ( network 21 ) was not yet taken into account. In 1995, Deutsche Bahn expected passenger numbers to increase by up to 70 percent.

Variant discussion

Initial route studies on a new line between Cologne and Frankfurt suggested in the mid-1980s a new line between Siegburg and the Rhein-Main airport, largely along the autobahn. The 5.45 billion D-Mark expensive and intended for single-species passenger traffic should be laid out for a maximum speed of 250 km / h. A connection to Wiesbaden was also planned.

After the project was carried out in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1985 with an open route, an investigation of large-scale alternatives to the route was carried out between the end of 1985 and April 1987 . At the same time there were numerous discussions between the Federal Railroad, the Federal Ministry of Transport and the federal states involved. The discussion about large-scale, transnational variants as well as the discussion about different variants in the federal states each took around two years to complete.

For about a year, up to the end of 1987, a comparison of the wheel / rail and magnetic levitation train systems was made. According to another source, a pure railway line was already included in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan in 1985. The Transrapid variant was rejected for traffic policy reasons, as was an expansion of the A 3 between Cologne and Frankfurt. The maglev was examined in two variants. In addition to a short variant, between Frankfurt and Cologne, a long variant between Dortmund and Mannheim had also been investigated in order to create connections without changing trains for many travelers. The Transrapid variant was based on the assumption that conventional wheel-rail vehicles would not be able to cope with the gradients of a stretch on the right bank of the Rhine, while the Transrapid, on the other hand, could in principle negotiate any gradients. In the course of further discussion, a wheel-rail solution with gradients of up to 40 per thousand was investigated, combined with the need to develop vehicles suitable for such gradients, if necessary. At that time, gradients of 40 per mille were already being mastered in the Stuttgart S-Bahn network , even if only on shorter sections. A comparative study showed a total of 4.5 kilometers of tunnel for the Transrapid variant, while 15 kilometers were planned for a wheel-rail solution. Today's relatively moving route is largely based on the in-depth comparison of both systems. According to estimates by Deutsche Bahn (as of 1994), a maximum inclination of 40 instead of 12.5 percent could save around 15 to 20 percent of the costs.

In 1988 the decision on the route was prepared. Five large-scale variants were considered in 1989:

• Option 0 : Cologne – Bonn / Siegburg – Autobahn 3– Limburg an der Lahn –Rhein / Main (177 kilometers, so-called Westerwaldtrasse )
• Variant 1 : Cologne – Bonn Hbf (tunnel station), crossing under the Rhine, pivoting (in a south-easterly direction) onto the route of variant 0 via Limburg into the Rhine-Main area (186 kilometers)
• Option 2 : Cologne – Bonn Hbf– Koblenz , Rheinquerung – Wiesbaden – Rhein / Main (185 kilometers)
• Variant 3 : As variant 2, beyond Koblenz along the right bank of the Rhine to Frankfurt Airport / Central Station (187 kilometers)
• Option 4 : Continuously on the left bank of the Rhine via Bonn, Koblenz to Mainz. Rhine crossing in Mainz, directly (bypassing Wiesbaden) to Frankfurt Airport / Central Station (224 kilometers)

For comparison: The straight line distance between the main train stations in Frankfurt and Cologne is 160 kilometers.

According to the railway, only sections of the Rhine valley north of Koblenz were suitable for high-speed traffic of 250 to 300 km / h, and south of the city not at all. The Rhenish Slate Mountains near the Rhine Graben were also topographically unsuitable for cuts of up to 100 meters with deeply cut transverse valleys. Corresponding terrain conditions, on the other hand, were to be found on a route on the right bank of the Rhine, which was also chosen when the motorway was built. By bundling traffic routes with the motorway, additional landscape fragmentation should also be avoided.

While numerous smaller municipalities were opposed to the project, large cities such as Bonn, Koblenz and Wiesbaden developed ideas for their connection to the route. The city of Koblenz emphasized the need for a new line connection as a hub for connections to Luxembourg . From numerous citizens' initiatives against the line, an action group against the project emerged at the end of 1989 , and the intention was to found a federal association of opponents of the express train . In numerous discussions between the Federal Ministry of Transport, the railways and the federal states, in addition to the connection to Koblenz, Mainz and Wiesbaden (and other stops), other topics were discussed, for example the future design of the regional rail transport in the Rhine Valley, further improvements on the left bank of the Rhine, the establishment of a Mannheim rapid transit system –Ludwigshafen – Saarbrücken and the use of tilting technology . In principle, all intermediate stops should be set up as needs-based stops.

This was followed by more specific investigations into the routing and station locations in the Bonn / Siegburg, Montabaur / (Koblenz) / Limburg and Mainz / Wiesbaden areas. Based on technical, economic and ecological studies, the then Federal Railroad expressed its preference in January 1988 for variant 0 , with an extensive route along the motorway. This was linked to a guarantee that an intercity line would be maintained in the Rhine Valley.

The planned costs of a high-speed line on the right bank of the Rhine were at 4.5 billion D-Marks (around 2.3 billion euros) at the end of the 1980s . A line crossing Bonn was traded for 5.5 billion D-Marks (around 2.8 billion euros), a variant on the left bank of the Rhine via Koblenz with 6.5 billion D-Marks (around 3.3 billion euros). A compromise proposal with management on the right bank of the Rhine with a new train station in Vilich , on the farthest edge of Bonn's urban area, was temporarily traded at the beginning of 1989 as a compromise variant for 5.0 billion D-Marks (around 2.6 billion euros). Variants for connecting Bonn main station to the high-speed line provided for a stop 35 meters below the station. In addition, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate had proposed variant 5 at short notice in 1989, which was also checked in the further proceedings. This so-called Westerburg route , which would have broken away from the A3 if it had broken south, was later rejected due to political resistance.

According to the railway, a route on the left bank of the Rhine via Bonn would have resulted in additional construction costs of around one billion D-Marks compared to variant 0 , with a route via Bonn and Koblenz of two billion D-Marks (price as of 1989). The travel times on the left bank of the Rhine would also have been ten to 30 minutes longer. (The mere expansion of the existing route with active tilting technology would have led to a travel time advantage of around 14 minutes.) In addition to "clear ecological advantages" (also due to the bundling of traffic routes), the cheaper travel time and lower investment costs for the right bank compared to other variants Route guidance spoken. In 1989 the Federal Railroad expected an increase to "almost 20 million passengers" per year. The maximum line speed should be between 250 and 300 km / h, a faster freight traffic was planned.

An ICE 3 near Montabaur

On July 14, 1989, the Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate, Carl-Ludwig Wagner , proposed a branch at the level of the Dernbacher Dreieck (near Montabaur) towards Koblenz as a so-called variant S. Investigations by the Federal Railroad came to the conclusion that this variant was very complex and ecologically unfavorable. The expected additional costs were estimated at 1.3 and 2.8 billion D-Marks (around 0.7 to 1.4 billion euros).

After further discussions, in particular about the integration of the Koblenz and Bonn areas, the then Federal Transport Minister Zimmermann decided on July 19, 1989 to run the route on the right bank of the Rhine from Cologne via Cologne / Bonn Airport, Bonn-Vilich and Limburg to Frankfurt am Main. For the route via Vilich, a good connection to private and local public transport, the proximity to the city center and the government district as well as positive urban development effects on the Bonn-Siegburg axis would have spoken. The final determination of the stops in the Bonn area and the connection to Koblenz were still open.

The Federal Cabinet decided after further examination on a proposal from the Minister of Transport on 20 December 1989 a continuous rechtsrheinische pipeline route. Intermediate stops were planned at Cologne / Bonn Airport , in Bonn-Vilich or Siegburg, in the Limburg area, in Mainz, in Wiesbaden and at Frankfurt am Main Airport. This brought an end to a four-year discussion about the spacious lines. In the following preparations for the regional planning procedure , different variants were examined in the three federal states involved.

With the best possible progress, Deutsche Bahn anticipated commissioning in 1998 at the beginning of 1991.

Between 1990 and 1994 (other source: 1991 to 1995) the six regional planning and regional development plan procedures were carried out. Intensive discussions between the federal states and Deutsche Bahn also came about about the scope of the spatial planning documents, in particular the requirements for the environmental impact studies . Due to the lengthy coordination and the extensive documents, the Deutsche Bundesbahn expected the project to be implemented quickly in 1992. The spatial planning should be completed in 1993, the plan approval procedures between 1993 and 1995 come to an end. The start of construction was expected in 1994, with commissioning in 2000.

One of the main reasons for the construction of the Montabaur train station was the lack of a connection between the Limburg train station and the Lahn Valley Railway to connect the Koblenz / Gießen areas , which could not be implemented in the three train station variants discussed in Limburg . Instead, the Montabaur train station should ensure good accessibility by road (motorway junction Montabaur, Dernbacher Dreieck). In the regional planning procedure, the possibility of an ICE stop in Montabaur was investigated further from 1991. With the conclusion of the procedure in 1995, the construction of the ICE station was later sealed.

After an expert report was submitted in 1991, nature and environmental protection associations also favored the right bank of the Rhine. On March 8, 1991, the German Federal Railroad officially presented the route to the right of the Rhine. In the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1992, the project was carried out as an urgent measure to be continued with 5.725 billion D-Marks (price as of January 1991). In mid-1992, the estimated cost was 6.5 billion DM. In 1993, it was included in the urgent needs of the federal rail network . The project thus found its way into the Federal Railways Expansion Act of November 15, 1993. The projected total investments were put at 2.927 billion euros. At the beginning of 1992, construction work was expected to begin around 1993/1994 and completion and commissioning for the end of the 1990s.

North Rhine-Westphalia

Five variants were examined in depth in NRW:

• Cologne main station  - Bonn / Siegburg  - national border
• Cologne main station - Cologne / Bonn airport  - Bonn / Siegburg - national border
• Cologne Central Station - Cologne / Bonn Airport - Bonn- Vilich  - national border
• Cologne main station - Bonn-Beuel - state border (proposal from nature and environmental protection associations)
• Cologne Central Station - Cologne / Bonn Airport - Bonn or Cologne-Porz  - Bonn / Siegburg (–Eitorf) - Altenkirchen - Westerburg  - Limburg - Rhine / Main (so-called Westerburg route )

ICE stops were checked for Cologne Central Station, Cologne / Bonn Airport, Bonn / Siegburg, Bonn-Vilich and Bonn- Beuel . In the variant via Bonn-Beuel, the route in the Logebachtal near Aegidienberg , near the A 3, would have plunged into a 14-kilometer tunnel. The State Ministry of Transport considered the connection of Cologne-Bonn airport to the high-speed route to be essential. Three variants with sub-variants were developed for its connection. While the Rhein-Sieg district was also knocking on an ICE stop in Siegburg, the city of Bonn advocated a route via Bonn main station. In the late 1980s, the Federal Railroad investigated Siegburg and Bonn Hbf as well as variants via Bonn-Beuel , Bonn-Vilich , Ramersdorf and Bonn Süd .

Between September 1990 and March 1991, the route layout was discussed in a total of 15 technical discussions between representatives of the Federal Railroad and the state. At the end of March 1991, the board of directors of the Federal Railroad presented the current route: a route along the Cologne – Gießen line to Siegburg, then along the federal motorway 3. Furthermore, the construction of a separate, double-track route to connect Cologne-Bonn airport for the S- Rail and ICE transport proposed. The DB justified its proposal with comparatively significantly lower costs, relatively low ecological interventions, relatively simple technical feasibility and low structural risks. A proposal submitted by the state government in mid-1991 to run the new line completely via Cologne / Bonn Airport was rejected by the Deutsche Bundesbahn for economic reasons, among other things. In December 1991 the regional planning documents were handed over to the state, including a double-track clasp to connect the airport. The regional planning procedure was opened on February 14, 1992 by the district president of Cologne.

The matter was completed in June 1993 with the handover of the spatial planning assessment by the Cologne Regional Council to the Federal Railroad in North Rhine-Westphalia, thus ending the discussion of variants. The first plan approval procedures were initiated in July 1993. In NRW twelve (with airport loop: 16) plan approval sections were created. At this point in time, the first construction work was expected to begin at the end of 1994.

The Kluse tunnel built as part of the consensus route

The discussion about the exact route in the Rhein-Sieg district dragged on for the longest time. On May 27, 1997, the district government, the district, the communities of Sankt Augustin , Königswinter and Bad Honnef as well as DB ProjektBau agreed on the exact route. The 19.34 kilometer long Konsenstrasse (also Rhein-Sieg-Kreis-Trasse [ RSK ]) provides for the extension of the Siegauen and Ittenbach tunnels , a swiveled and lowered route at Hasenpohl and Sonderbusch, the construction of a covered trough of 255 meters in length Siebengebirge nature reserve (instead of a pipe bridge), the Kluse tunnel (198 meters) and a six-meter lowering of the route between the Kochbachtal and the Rottbitzetunnel . The additional excavation of around one million cubic meters created by the measures should be used for noise protection and landscaping measures. The construction work in North Rhine-Westphalia began (in Siegburg) on ​​May 13, 1997. In mid-1998, the Federal Railway Authority pointed out to Deutsche Bahn that the routing in the Siebengebirge was not in accordance with the Habitats Directive and therefore that the Logebachtal Bridge and the Tunneling under an alder forest is necessary.

Rhineland-Palatinate

The ICE route touches the A3 in a tunnel structure in Windhagen in Rhineland-Palatinate

In the 1980s, the state of Rhineland-Palatinate campaigned for a route via Koblenz. In Rhineland-Palatinate, two route options and three train station locations between Limburg and Montabaur were examined. In the Montabaur area, in addition to the completed northern bypass of the city, a southern route with a Montabaur Süd train station was examined. The regional planning procedure in Rhineland-Palatinate was opened on March 12, 1991. The regional planning decision was issued in March 1994.

The transfer points or overtaking stations planned at Windhagen and Dierdorf were not built; instead, a transfer point was built at Willroth .

Today 55 kilometers run in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Hesse

Realized route near the A3 in the Limburg ad Lahn area

As early as the 1980s, the state of Hesse advocated a route on the right bank of the Rhine via Limburg. In addition to the completed route north of Limburg along the A3, a southern bypass of the district town was examined. Today's Limburg Süd station was the cheapest of the three station locations discussed. The favored connection of the Koblenz / Gießen area via the Lahn Valley Railway was not possible with this variant. The Montabaur station , now 21.4 kilometers to the northwest , with a direct motorway connection near the Dernbacher Dreieck, was created as a replacement.

Limburg South Station 2003

The regional planning coordination process at the regional council of Giessen was initiated on January 28, 1991. The two regional planning procedures in the Hessian section ( Darmstadt Regional Council ) were initiated on February 26, 1992 and completed in November 1994.

The municipalities of Bad Camberg (east of the A3) and Hünstelden (west of the A3) demanded that the line be built on the side facing away from them. In the Idstein area , variants to the west and east of the motorway and a link with the existing Main-Lahn route were examined. Noise protection that goes beyond the provisions of the Traffic Noise Protection Ordinance was also repeatedly requested.

Furthermore, the connection between the state capitals Mainz and Wiesbaden determined the route investigation and discussion in Hesse. The following were discussed:

• a route of the high-speed line over Wiesbaden main station . This variant was originally a premise of the route on the right bank of the Rhine, but was discarded after in-depth investigations. Different variants of the connection were examined, including crossing under the state capital in a tunnel.
• a route on the eastern outskirts of Wiesbaden, with sub-variants, some of which provided for a new train station.
• the management of the route along the federal motorway 3 west of Wiesbaden, with a connection to the main train station via a connecting route.

In addition, the connection to Frankfurt Airport , the scope of the railway systems to be built there and the continuation to Frankfurt Central Station and Riedbahn were comprehensively examined. In August 1991, the state of Hesse, the state capital and the then Deutsche Bundesbahn agreed on a ground-level connection to the Wiesbaden main station via a link to the new line further east.

The connection of Frankfurt Airport to the new line and to the Riedbahn (towards Mannheim) was also the subject of in-depth planning.

A depot between Idstein and Niederseelbach was originally planned to be linked to the existing network (curve radius: 800 meters). In the regional planning procedure, this link was abandoned and the station was reduced to a single, 420-meter-long passing track. In the end, the system was not implemented, nor was an originally planned branch near Eddersheim, to the confluence with the line towards Frankfurt-Höchst.

Operating concept

The operational concept from 1990 provided for five lines of long-distance passenger traffic to be run over the new line. Their northern endpoints should be in Aachen, Dortmund, Hanover and Hamburg, among others, and in the south in Passau, Munich, Stuttgart and Basel. An IC line between northern Germany and Frankfurt am Main should therefore be maintained on the left-hand Rhine route - also to connect Mainz and Koblenz. In addition, the establishment of interregional traffic on the left bank of the Rhine was planned. The possibility of setting up fast, light freight traffic on the high-speed route was kept open. An estimate was based on 10 to 15 trains per day, with special vehicles having to be procured. Each locomotive should be able to transport 500 tons of payload. In the mid-1990s, 60 timetable routes per day and direction between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. were kept for this purpose. Freight transport was also provided as an option in the planning approval procedure.

On a special ICE Sprinter line , the trains of which would have run between Cologne Central Station and Frankfurt Central Station without stopping, the travel time should be reduced to 58 minutes after commissioning. The pure driving time (without reserves, without intermediate stops) should be 53 minutes in the final state, with a maximum route speed of 300 km / h. At 250 km / h 63 minutes and at 200 km / h 73 minutes should be achieved. (The shortest scheduled travel time to date between the main train stations in Cologne and Frankfurt was reached in the 2010 timetable with 63 minutes.)

In the mid-1990s, the establishment of a regional ICE was considered in order to avoid loss of travel time for through trains through stops at intermediate stations. The concept envisaged connecting all the stations on the new line as well as the airport stations in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Cologne / Bonn. A study, however, did not certify the concept as being sufficiently cost-effective and instead recommended alternating service of the subway stations through different lines.

In 2000 it was planned to reduce the number of long-distance lines on the existing lines from four to one after the new line went into operation. At the same time, regional traffic should be improved.

The line is located in the regional areas Central (route kilometers 61.1 upwards) and West (up to route kilometers 61.1) of the DB Netz .

planning

Planning was carried out by two Bundesbahn project groups in Cologne (for North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate) and Frankfurt am Main (for Hesse). At the end of 1989, the line was scheduled to go into operation in 1998. The first plan approval procedures were initiated in mid-1990.

The high-speed line and the parallel A 3 at Hasenboseroth

While the new lines Hanover – Würzburg and Mannheim – Stuttgart, which opened between 1986 and 1991 and also run through the low mountain range , were designed for mixed traffic of passenger and freight trains, the new line Cologne – Rhine / Main embodies the model of a pure passenger route with comparatively large gradients and narrow Curve radii. The planners hoped to minimize the consumption of the landscape and the additional noise by means of the close bundling of traffic routes with the federal motorway 3 . In order to be able to adapt the route of the railway line largely to the motorway, the minimum arc radius was reduced to 3320 meters. The narrowest arch realized in the high-speed section measures a radius of 3348 meters, the cant is up to 170 millimeters. The steep ascent from both sides, strong valley cuts and the bundling of traffic routes made a tunnel share of only eight percent necessary in the original planning. Through further bundling of traffic routes with the motorway (including the resulting additional underpasses and overpasses) as well as noise protection and other measures, the proportion of tunnels rose to around 25 percent in the course of the planning approval procedure. In the meantime, in 1995, the planned share of the 27 planned tunnels in the route length was 19.1 percent.

The resulting alignment parameters from the bundling of traffic routes with the motorway could only be managed permanently with the use of a slab track . Compared to earlier German new lines, the track center distance was reduced from 4.70 to 4.50 meters, while the cross-sectional area of ​​the tunnel was increased from 82 to 92 square meters (with an excavated cross-section of around 150 square meters).

The steepest gradients of the new line are at 40 per thousand, making the new line the steepest high-speed line in the world (as of 2002). In connection with these inclines, the route could initially only be used by ICE 3 and later also by ICE 4 in regular passenger train traffic. This is usually justified by the fact that only these vehicles are able to start safely on steep inclines, even with a partially failed drive. The high speeds driven as well as the steep inclines led to the use of distributed drives (with a drive on at least every other axis) and the eddy current brake as a new braking technology.

In April 1994, the first of around 50 planning approval procedures for the Frankfurt Airport / Frankfurter Kreuz section was initiated. By 1995 the majority of the planning approval procedures had been initiated. As part of this, a total of 169 legal proceedings were conducted around the route. In protest against what they believed to be inadequate noise protection measures , the community of Niedernhausen bought a restricted piece of land that had to be expropriated . There were also considerable delays in the Rhein-Sieg district . The last planning approval decision for the Königswinter - Bad Honnef section became legally binding in September 1998. Most of the lawsuits filed against the new line were unsuccessful. As a transport project with an urgent need , lawsuits against the route had no suspensive effect . In addition to lawsuits and settlement acts, planning optimizations also led to up to 15 plan amendment procedures per plan approval section. The reasons also included changes to noise protection (including the specially monitored track procedure ), the establishment of anti-glare devices on the motorway and the construction of vehicle and cargo-dropping restraint systems.

The new line was divided into three construction phases in the course of the procedure:

• North (Cologne – city limits Sankt Augustin / Königswinter , planning approval sections 1.4 to 2.4: around 31 kilometers total length, 6 kilometers of which are purely new construction)
• Middle (Königswinter– Eddersheim / Nordenstadt , 137.5 kilometers)
• South ( South Main section Raunheim –Frankfurt, Frankfurter-Kreuz-Tunnel with connecting curves).

The middle section was again divided into three lots:

• Lot A (Königswinter– Dierdorf / Sessenhausen , 42 kilometers long)
• Lot B (Sessenhausen– Selters / Brechen , 43 kilometers long)
• Lot C ( Hünstelden - Eddersheim / Nordenstadt / Mainquerung Raunheim (northwestern bank of the Main), around 50 kilometers in length)

The five lots were again divided into 48 plan approval sections. The last planning approval decision for the route in Hesse was issued in mid-1997, in Rhineland-Palatinate in May 1998 and in North Rhine-Westphalia in October 1998; the last decision on the Cologne airport loop only became legally binding in February 2001. Due to the late building permit for the northern section of the line, construction work there could only begin around 20 months later than initially planned.

The construction of the approximately 135-kilometer main section of the high-speed line between Siegburg / Bonn and the Main Crossing near Frankfurt was awarded to four bidding consortia in a negotiated procedure in July 1996 ; the invitation to participate had previously been advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union . The route was the first federal traffic route project commissioned by means of functional service descriptions . The services to be provided were largely defined on the basis of the function to be fulfilled by the structures and the concrete planning and construction was largely left to the contractors. The main principles were the results of the plan approval procedure, the recognized rules of technology and the will of the client. Among other things, a fixed price, quality and deadline were set (completion in 2000, commercial start-up in spring 2001). The general contractor also partially assumed the construction risks. They also committed themselves to form a joint consortium and to award at least 40 percent of the contract value to medium-sized companies without discrimination . The total volume for the three construction and five equipment-related lots was 3.6 billion D-Marks (1.84 billion euros) at the time the contract was awarded . The north and south adjoining sections of the route were awarded in the form of a specification with a specification of services . Numerous planning tasks (plan management and review, construction supervision ) were largely outsourced to external engineering offices in functional tendering. The Federal Railway Authority counteracted any further awarding of the planning to third parties . The new authority created on January 1, 1994 as part of the rail reform had taken over the supervisory and approval function from the Federal Railroad. From this date the newly founded Deutsche Bahn was only the developer.

At the end of 1996, Deutsche Bahn awarded contracts for the technical equipment of the line totaling 380 million D-Marks. It was planned to set up radio train control based on a digital radio system (DIBMOF) to be developed, without stationary signals.

In the late summer of 1999, potential savings in the project were examined due to the budgetary shortage of the federal government.

The construction measures were controlled from April 1, 1996 at the DB ProjektBau locations in Frankfurt, Cologne and Montabaur.

construction

Construction work on the line began on December 13, 1995 with the start of construction on the Frankfurter Kreuz Tunnel . At the end of 1995 the earthworks were in progress in the entire south Main section. At the beginning of the construction work, the head of the railway, Heinz Dürr , expected a reduction in travel time between Frankfurt and Cologne from 135 to 58 minutes after the route was completed in spring 2000. The number of travelers in the Rhine corridor should increase from 11 to 12 million passengers at that time to 20 to 25 million by 2010. In October 1998, the installation of the tracks and the overhead line in the south Main section began. The installation of the slab track had started a month earlier.

At the beginning of 1997, the first construction work began on the 135-kilometer central section. On May 13, 1997, Federal Transport Minister Matthias Wissmann , North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Economics Clement and Head of Railway Dürr broke ground in North Rhine-Westphalia in Siegburg . From autumn 1998, the construction work ran on full length. The last sub-project started on December 4, 2000, after the conclusion of legal disputes, with the construction of the Cologne / Bonn airport loop.

Construction work on the tunnels in the high-speed section began in September 1998, and completion was scheduled for the end of 2000. Their erection on the surface of the low mountain range was difficult because of the mostly low overburden (often 10 to 20 meters) and the unstable rock that was weathered to depths of up to 80 meters . In order to achieve a significant advance in the mostly difficult environment (tunneling performance of usually around one to five meters per day), this was done around the clock. Most of the excess mass from the construction of tunnels and cuttings was used as side debris along the highway. They were modeled as noise protection walls according to the landscape planning and then recultivated . In many places, the noise barriers reduced noise beyond the legal requirements.

In 2000 a temporary connection to the Main-Lahn-Bahn was established in Idsteiner Frauwald . This connecting track was dismantled before the line was completed.

Construction of the slab track began in May 2000. On June 8, 2000, the installation of the overhead line began. In March 2001, track construction began, which was driven forward from the Kelsterbach and Niedernhausen train stations, among others . The Siegauentunnel was the last tunnel to be built using the mining method and was completed in spring 2001.

During the construction phase, traffic on the neighboring A3 was also affected. Up to 48 construction sites (maximum speed 100 km / h) were set up on the motorway at the same time. During the construction phase, the motorway route was laid in ten places over a total length of 14.9 kilometers for a period of 8 to 31 months. In construction lot A of the middle section alone, the trunk road was re-routed over a length of 8.3 kilometers. The motorway was permanently relocated in four places in order to bundle traffic routes.

Up to 15,000 people were simultaneously involved in the construction of the railway line. During the tunnel construction work, a total of 7.5 million cubic meters of earth was excavated and around three million cubic meters of concrete were used. 1,400 miners had been hired. During the construction of the tunnels, 13 people (according to another source 8) were killed in accidents. Numerous compensatory measures were intended to compensate for the impact on the ecosystem caused by the construction of the route. As part of the largest replacement afforestation, around 50 hectares were afforested for a planned local recreation area near Frankfurt .

The area required for the 219 kilometers of the route is 708 hectares. Of this, around 230 hectares are accounted for by the actual railway structure, the rest on succession areas such as ditches, embankments and fallow land. In addition, around 2,200 hectares of compensation areas are planned. Most of the compensation was made remote from the route in order to protect agricultural land or to achieve greater ecological benefits. A total of 30 million cubic meters of material were moved during the earthworks, and a further eleven million cubic meters were excavated during the tunneling work. Around 300,000 tons of steel and 500,000 cubic meters of concrete were used.

A polluter pays principle in paleontological monument preservation came into play for the first time during the construction of the route . Numerous excavations were carried out along the route at the client's expense, which unearthed a large number of finds.

The route was structurally completed in December 2001.

Installation

In 1989 the opening was planned for 1998. The opening of the entire route was planned for 1999; it was delayed several times. Commercial commissioning in May 2001 was expected in mid-1998. After further delays, the completion date on February 11, 1999 was postponed by another year to December 2001, and commercial commissioning to May 2002. The reasons given included geological problems in the construction of the tunnels and delays in the approval process. The plan approval procedures in section C would have taken an average of only 23 months, compared to 46.5 months in section A. This delay could not be made up in some areas, especially in tunnel construction. With the extension of the construction period, cost increases in the three-digit million DM range were foreseeable. The additional costs due to the new Habitats Directive were also put in the three-digit million range in mid-1998.

At the end of November 1998, the first train, a work train with invited guests, ran from the Zeppelinheim station over the south Main section of the route to the Frankfurter-Kreuz-Tunnel. On May 30, 1999, the south Main section with the Frankfurt airport long-distance train station and the Frankfurter Kreuz tunnel went into operation. From this day on, trains in the direction of Cologne ran on the seven-kilometer section between Frankfurt Airport and the Mönchhof junction on the tracks of the new line. They reached the railway line to Mainz via the junction and continued to Cologne via the left Rhine line. The high-speed section between the branch and Siegburg / Bonn was still under construction at that time.

The Executive Board of Deutsche Bahn AG set up in early 2000 a division-wide working group under the title for the coordination and preparation for commissioning TXN led by the DB passenger one. This should coordinate the approximately 1500 steps necessary for commissioning.

On July 10, 2001, the closing of the gap , the welding of the last section of the rail, was celebrated on the Logebachtal Bridge . The first test runs with diesel locomotives began in the same month. The first train to travel the full length of the new line was a superstructure measuring train with two locomotives and three cars. On August 12, 2001, it traveled from Frankfurt to Siegburg and back at a speed of 40 km / h. Because of the steep gradients, measuring vehicles always operated in double traction . On September 9th, around 20,000 people took the opportunity to hike on the construction site along the route that was completed in the shell.

In July 2002, the Federal Ministry of Transport issued an exceptional permit for operation at 300 km / h.

The electrification was essentially completed at the end of August. In the northern section, the installation of the energy supply as well as the control and safety technology was still running. In September 2001 the overhead line in the southern section was energized. On October 8th, test drives to inspect the superstructure and catenary began with the ICE S at speeds of up to 200 km / h. On October 22, 2001 an ICE 3 traveled the route for the first time on a 37-kilometer section between Frankfurt Airport and Idstein . On October 24, two work vehicles collided, one person died and two were seriously injured. The second largest electronic interlocking in Germany at that time was put into operation on November 26, 2001 in Troisdorf . On December 5, during test drives between Frankfurt and Montabaur, the ICE S reached the speed of 330 km / h required for later approval for the first time. On December 15, the overhead line between Siegburg and Montabaur was energized. On January 8, 2002, the test ICE traveled the full length of the route for the first time. In April 2002, the overhead line between Cologne Steinstrasse and Siegburg was finally put under tension. The route approval (including the new CIR-ELKE-II technology) ran until May 2002, and the approval for the maximum speed was completed by August 1, 2002.

Shortly before commissioning, wind protection fences were installed over a length of 10.8 kilometers. After a dynamic speed limit (with wind measuring devices) was no longer pursued, the fences were planned in October 2000 as part of a plan change. In the weeks before the start of scheduled operation, the operation of the new route and a new on-board catering concept were tested from the customer's point of view in test drives with DB employees.

A report that train encounters in the tunnel had proven critical and the maximum speed in the tunnel was therefore initially limited to 250 km / h was denied by Deutsche Bahn.

opening

One of the 34 up to 6 meters high red ones. which were set up along the route as part of the advertising campaign (October 2002)

The symbolic opening of the line took place on July 25, 2002 under the motto " The train gives you an hour for free" . Two special trains in double traction ran the line parallel to the opening from Frankfurt Central Station to Cologne Central Station. About 700 guests of honor were on board one of the trains, including Kurt Bodewig , Roland Koch , Wolfgang Clement , Hartmut Mehdorn and Doris Schröder-Köpf . On board the other train were 700 readers of a tabloid who had won tickets for the special train. After a reception at Frankfurt Central Station, the trains (train numbers 18812 and 18814) left at 11.30 a.m. From the airport train station it went parallel to Cologne with the liner train control switched off. The pair of trains covered the distance between the main stations in Frankfurt and Cologne, with a stop in Montabaur, in 85 minutes. Several thousand people watched the opening drive along the route. At 1:01 p.m., the trains pulled into Cologne Central Station. At a one-hour concert by Sasha , 3800 guests celebrated on Roncalli-Platz next to Cologne Cathedral . In Cologne, Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder , who had canceled his ride at short notice due to the swearing-in of the new Defense Minister Struck , also came to the celebrations. The following day, another special parallel trip followed for around 2,000 project participants from Frankfurt via Siegburg to Montabaur.

Passenger service began on August 1, 2002 along the entire route. The opening reduced the travel time between the main stations from around 135 to 76 minutes and the route length from 222 to 177 kilometers. The ICE fare rose from 39 to 53.60 euros. Up until December 2002 there was a preliminary operation with two-hour shuttle trains from Frankfurt to Cologne between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. From September 15, 2002, a one-hour cycle was offered, with departures in Frankfurt and Cologne between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. The trains called shuttles only ran between Cologne and Frankfurt and were subject to reservation and surcharge. A single journey in 2nd class was charged 39 euros, in 1st class 58.60 euros, plus a 12 euros shuttle surcharge and a 2.60 euros reservation fee. The stations Siegburg / Bonn, Montabaur and Limburg Süd were served alternately (one per train). A complete commissioning before the major timetable change in December 2002 was not possible due to the numerous dependencies of the German and European timetable systems, according to DB information.

With the start of the shuttle service, a new catering concept was introduced. A service at the seat (by caddy) largely replaced the dining car . One month after the start of operations, the railway announced that the number of catering customers in the first class had increased from 14 to 40 percent, and in the second class from ten to 25. The original plan, this concept (with the abolition of the dining car) from 2003 onwards, too The company did not implement other routes.

In the first month, according to the railway, more than 80,000 passengers used the new route, with unchanged traffic on the two existing routes along the Rhine.

The start of full operation with integration into the European timetable took place in December 2002. Seven ICE lines ran over the route every two hours:

• Line 40 : Münster - Cologne Messe / Deutz - Frankfurt
• Line 41 : Dortmund - Cologne Messe / Deutz - Frankfurt
• Line 42 : Dortmund - Stuttgart - Munich
• Line 43 : Dortmund - Basel
• Line 45 : Cologne - Mainz - Stuttgart
• Line 78 ( ICE International ): Amsterdam  - Cologne - Frankfurt
• Line 79 (ICE International): Bruxelles-Midi / Brussel-Zuid  - Cologne - Frankfurt

According to railway information, around 40 percent of long-distance traffic in Germany ran over the route. The entire German timetable and line system was therefore reorganized when the route went into operation. In total, almost 70 percent of all long-distance train connections were directly or indirectly affected by the commissioning of the new line.

The establishment of two pairs of ICE Sprinter trains between Dortmund and Stuttgart was planned, but was ultimately not implemented. ICE trains, which were supposed to run between the two main stations in 59 minutes with a tight travel time and without intermediate stops, were also not implemented.

The first months of full operation were characterized by numerous technical problems that led to delays and train cancellations. Eddy-current brakes were switched off regularly , as the insulation of the coils had been damaged after impacts with the rail. Without the braking system, the train can only travel 230 km / h. Problems also arose when coupling two parts of the train. In the first year of operation, the timetables between Cologne and Frankfurt contained travel time reserves in the order of magnitude of mostly around ten minutes.

Cologne / Bonn Airport train station

On June 13, 2004, the last construction phase went into operation with the airport loop connecting Cologne / Bonn Airport .

At the end of September 2004 the Siegburg / Bonn train station was officially opened.

costs

In the system comparison wheel / rail - maglev , in 1987 3.3 billion D-Marks (around 1.7 billion euros) were assumed to cost the rail variant (without branching and connecting routes and electrification). When the federal government decided on the route to the right of the Rhine (1989), the planned total costs were around five billion D-Marks (around 2.6 billion euros).

On December 21, 1995, the federal government and the railway signed a financing agreement for the construction of the line in accordance with the Federal Railways Expansion Act. This was based on total costs of 7.75 billion DM (3.96 billion euros). The sum of the costs to be borne by the federal government was set at this amount, including a maximum of DM 130 million for the part of the stations eligible for funding under the Federal Railways Expansion Act. DM 1.0 billion was granted as a construction subsidy, the remaining amount as an interest-free loan . The total costs of 7.75 billion DM included 439 million DM as expenditure for environmental protection (especially noise protection measures). This 7.75 billion DM, on the other hand, did not include the costs for the connection to Cologne / Bonn Airport, amounting to a planned 1.04 billion DM.

On behalf of DB, an auditing company determined expected cost increases of up to 2.765 billion DM in mid-2000. In August 2001, the company announced a cost increase to a planned total of 10 billion DM (5.1 billion euros). The main reasons are billions in additional demands from construction companies and geological problems.

On March 13, 2002, DB informed its supervisory board about further cost increases. By the time the project was completed, costs of around six billion euros were expected. This cost estimate also included the result of around 2000 of the 2800 addendum notifications received up to that point . The outcome of the negotiations for the approximately 800 outstanding transactions was estimated.

With total costs of 6.0 billion euros (as of the end of 2002, excluding outstanding measures in the Cologne hub), the federal contribution was 4.007 billion. Deutsche Bahn AG had to bear the majority of the costs in excess of the fixed costs on which the tender was based and the fixed costs of DM 7.75 billion (EUR 3.96 billion) assumed by the federal government. The federal government contributed 300 million DM to the additional costs (status: 2001). DB paid excessive prices for the rails supplied by members of the “ Eisenbahnfreunde ” cartel .

The company justified the additional expenditure with higher requirements in the area of ​​environmental and noise protection and tunnel safety as well as generally increased costs. Another major cost driver is the increase in the proportion of tunnels from 8 to around 25 percent, which is essentially due to compromises in the area of ​​environmental and noise protection. The Federal Railway Authority sees the main cause of the additional costs in a non-targeted, functional tender, in which “the client was not yet able to conclusively determine the necessary restrictions on the freedom of design at the time of the tender”. According to its own information, the authority had already warned of cost increases during the procurement procedure: In addition to implausible cost estimates, and not yet completed (mostly not yet applied for) plan approval procedures, the authority cited highly unrealistic procurement profits that the company had expected.

Although it was contractually stipulated that DB would have to bear additional costs compared to the planned 3.96 billion euros, the federal government paid 890 million euros more than planned, according to estimates by the Federal Audit Office . The 2008 budget report also criticized the fact that the Federal Ministry of Transport had paid 44 million euros for construction work that had not been carried out without prior acceptance tests and that it was only reclaimed years later from Deutsche Bahn AG.

The transport scientist Heiner Monheim criticizes that - at full capacity - ten times more trains would have to use the route or the fare would have to be more than ten times higher in order to achieve economical operation.

Effects

The length of the rail connection between Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof and Cologne Hauptbahnhof was reduced from 223.2 kilometers via the airport regional train station (standard route until 1999) or 221.1 kilometers (via the airport long-distance train station, standard route from 1999) to 180.0 kilometers. The travel time between the two cities was reduced by around an hour.

Air traffic between Cologne and Stuttgart was discontinued in 2002. Air traffic between Cologne / Bonn and Nuremberg has decreased significantly since the route opened.

In mid-2003, the average utilization of the trains on the route was 37 percent. In 2007, five years after the start of operations, the number of travelers on the route averaged 32,000 per day, which means an increase in passenger numbers (compared to 2003) of 36 percent. The average capacity utilization of the trains also increased from 36 percent to 50 percent. In mid-2012, Deutsche Bahn spoke of steady passenger growth and meanwhile an average of around 33,000 travelers per day. More than 100 million travelers would have used the route in the first ten years. After 15 years of operation, the number of daily travelers was put at more than 40,000 and the total number of travelers at around 220 million.

As part of the AIRail agreement , fourteen trains with Lufthansa flight numbers run between Frankfurt and Cologne every day . The number of daily flight connections between the two cities fell from six to four, and only smaller regional jets are used. Due to the low occupancy, Lufthansa cut the connection to the 2007/2008 winter flight schedule from its route network. On November 5, 2007, Siegburg train station was also integrated into the AIRail system. Around 200,000 people used the cooperation in 2011.

The seat capacity between Siegburg / Bonn and Frankfurt am Main increased from 20.9 million in 2010 to 24.5 million in 2019.

business

For the exchange of rails over a length of 117 kilometers, the route was completely closed on four weekends from mid-April to mid-May 2015. The cost of the measure was put at around 15 million euros. The line was closed on two weekends in September 2018 for the renewal of 6.6 km of track.

On August 7, 2018, an embankment fire broke out near Siegburg , in which 32 people were injured and nine houses were initially uninhabitable.

On the morning of October 12, 2018 at around 6:21 a.m., the penultimate car in the rear unit of the ICE 511 from Cologne to Munich, which was driven with an ICE 3 double set, caught fire after transformer oil had leaked and caught fire. 510 people had to be evacuated from the train, five were slightly injured. The fire started in the underfloor area and spread to the following end car. The car in which the fire broke out was completely destroyed, the following end car was badly damaged, as was the railway infrastructure . From October 20, the line could initially be used again on one track in the affected section. Driving past the scene of the accident took place at reduced speed, which resulted in no stops. There were two trains per hour and direction. First of all, the track on the affected track was to be renewed over a length of around 60 m, the traffic was then to be routed over it and the other track was to be repaired over a length of 14 m. From November 18, 2018, the line should be accessible again on two tracks. Until the beginning of December 2018, there were still speed restrictions due to remaining work. The estimated amount of property damage is 31.3 million euros. Due to special inspections and another accident, the availability of ICE 3 multiple units is tense as a result of the accident. The search for the cause of the accident turned out to be difficult due to severe fire damage. According to the investigation report of the Federal Agency for Railway Accident Investigation, the breakage of a tie rod of the transformer was probably the primary cause of the development of the event.

Dangerous events

On March 20, 2020, a train driver noticed a restless journey when crossing the Theiss valley bridge and reported this. Thereupon it was found that rail bolts had been loosened over a length of around 80 m by unknown persons. As a result, the route was closed and investigations began. A 51-year-old suspect was arrested on March 22, 2020. He is accused of attempted murder in unity with dangerous interference in railway operations.

outlook

In the long term (as of 2012), the high-speed line is to be introduced entirely on its own tracks in the Cologne railway junction. It is planned to run the pair of tracks from the current provisional connection of the high-speed line at the Cologne-Steinstraße junction, which can be driven at 130 km / h, to the Cologne-Mülheim train station via Cologne Messe / Deutz (deep). The route across the Deutz underground station, which has existed since the station opened, has already been rebuilt.

The further expansion is divided into three construction phases: Initially, until around 2020, a level-free integration of the routes from Köln Messe / Deutz (low) and Köln Messe / Deutz (high) in the Köln-Kalk area is planned. In a further construction phase, the route from Köln Messe / Deutz station to the northern branch of the airport loop is to be extended. A further expansion between the junction of the airport loop and the current start of the high-speed line in the Steinstraße area should take place in the event of significant additional traffic in long-distance traffic. In 2019, a service agreement on basic determination and preliminary planning for the expansion of this section is to be concluded.

After a year of renovation (with full closure), the section between Cologne-Mülheim and Cologne Messe / Deutz (deep) went into operation on two tracks and expanded for speeds of up to 100 km / h. The connection of the train station to the feeder to the high-speed line ( junction Gummersbacher Straße) was completed with the timetable change on December 13, 2009. The expansion of the Cologne Messe / Deutz station to a fully-fledged long-distance train stop on the high and lowlands (through platform extensions) as well as the expansion of the access routes to Deutz with the creation of flyover structures were part of the overall concept of the high-speed line, but were not implemented with the approval of the Federal Railway Authority, because Deutsche Bahn initially saw no need. Nevertheless, the DB received 153 million euros for the construction of this section of the route without the federal government having requested the construction of the route or any repayment of the money (status: 2007).

For the expansion of the 5.3 kilometer long section between the Gummersbacher Straße junction and the Porz-Steinstraße junction from four to six tracks, it was planned in 2007 to hand over the documents for the planning approval procedure to the Federal Railway Authority at the end of 2012. The total construction period of five to six years, during which 15 kilometers of existing tracks were also to be rebuilt, should therefore not begin before 2017. In 2007 there was no funding commitment for the expansion. Planning started in autumn 2009. The project, now referred to as “Expansion South of Gummersbacher Strasse” (ASG), also includes the conversion of around 12 kilometers of existing tracks. The project is divided into three plan approval sections (11, 12, 13). While a fundamentally new plan approval procedure was carried out for plan approval section 11, resolutions have been changed for sections 12 (1997) and 13 (1996):

• The planning approval decision for section 11 (construction kilometers 2.3 to 4.2) was issued in October 2019.
• In section 12 (construction km 4.2 to 6.2), a flyover structure in Cologne-Kalk was included in the planning as part of the 5th plan change, which was determined in March 2020.
• For the southern section 13, the planning approval decision was issued in November 1996 and changed seven times by 2007. The notification for the 8th change to the plan in the section was issued in March 2020. Compared to the original plan, two additional tracks were added between the junctions at Gummersbacher Strasse and Northwest Airport.

The start of construction is planned for 2022, the commissioning from 2028. In the PFA 11 and 12, discussions have now taken place, in PFA 13, due to an agreement in advance, no discussion was necessary. (Status: 2018)

The southern end of the line is to be threaded into the new Rhine / Main – Rhine / Neckar line on both sides .

In January 2016, the realization of the Wallauer Spange was announced, with which the travel time from Wiesbaden to Frankfurt am Main Airport is to be reduced from 34 to 13 minutes. The planning should start in 2016, the completion is open.

A feasibility study on the widespread introduction of ETCS , presented in September 2018, recommends equipping the line with ETCS by 2025. The route is part of the "DSD starter package", a series of pilot projects that are to be put into operation between 2025 and 2028 with ETCS and digital interlockings . As part of the starter package of Digital Rail Germany, the route is to be equipped primarily with digital interlockings and ETCS (status: 2019). Implementation is now planned for 2030. This should not increase capacity, but increase punctuality in passenger traffic by 1.1 percentage points. Commissioning is planned for 2027.

In the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030 , a block consolidation between Zeppelinheim and the airport long-distance train station is planned, with a shortening of the average block distance to 2 km.

The Germany-Takt concept presented in October 2018 provides for five trains per hour and direction. The travel time between the main train stations in Cologne and Frankfurt should be between 68 minutes (300 km / h trains without intermediate stops) and 93 minutes (300 km / h trains with four intermediate stops). The 2nd expert draft from May 2019 also provides for five pairs of trains per hour and direction.

Operating concept

The operating concept envisages an occupancy of an average of five trains per hour and direction; eight trains per hour and direction were used as the basis for measuring the block spacing. In order to commence full operation in December 2002, 70 percent of long-distance traffic between Cologne and Frankfurt should be routed over the new line.

The new Cologne – Rhein / Main line will be used as planned by the following lines in the 2017 timetable:

line	Route (stations on the high-speed route are marked in bold)
ICE 41	(Dortmund -) Essen - Duisburg - Cologne Messe / Deutz (deep) - (Cologne / Bonn Airport - Siegburg / Bonn - Montabaur - Limburg Süd -) Frankfurt Airport Fernbf - Frankfurt - Aschaffenburg - Würzburg - Nuremberg - Munich
ICE 42	Dortmund - Essen - Duisburg - Cologne - Siegburg / Bonn - Frankfurt Airport Fernbf - Mannheim - Stuttgart - Augsburg - Munich
ICE 43	(Dortmund - Wuppertal -) Cologne - Siegburg / Bonn - Frankfurt Airport Fernbf - Mannheim - Karlsruhe - Basel
ICE 45	Cologne - Cologne / Bonn Airport - Montabaur - Limburg South - Wiesbaden  - Mainz - Mannheim - Heidelberg - Vaihingen - Stuttgart
ICE 47	Dortmund - Essen - Duisburg - Cologne Messe / Deutz (deep) - (Cologne / Bonn Airport -) Frankfurt Airport Fernbf - Mannheim - Stuttgart
ICE 49	Cologne - Siegburg / Bonn - Montabaur - Limburg South - Frankfurt Airport Fernbf - Frankfurt
ICE International 78	Amsterdam - Duisburg - Cologne - Frankfurt Airport Fernbf - Frankfurt
ICE International 79	Brussels - Aachen - Cologne - Siegburg / Bonn - Frankfurt Airport Fernbf - Frankfurt

In the timetable years 2006 and 2007, an ICE Sprinter from Cologne to Stuttgart or Munich used the route on workdays.

When it opened, the new Cologne – Rhein / Main line was the first German railway line that was scheduled to travel (in large parts) at 300 km / h and on which the eddy current brake of the ICE 3 could be used as a service brake. The Frankfurt Airport – Siegburg / Bonn connection was the fastest ICE connection between two cities in Germany with a travel speed of 232 km / h (143.3 kilometers in 37 minutes) and was (2007) the fifth fastest train connection worldwide. (In the 2013 timetable, the regular travel time for line 42/43 is 38 minutes (39 minutes in the opposite direction), corresponding to a cruising speed of 226 km / h or 220 km / h.)

In the 2007 annual timetable, ICEs running beyond Frankfurt am Main and Cologne stopped less frequently in Limburg and Montabaur. Additional trains commuted between Frankfurt and Cologne and connected the small stations. With the timetable change in December 2007, these shuttle trains were no longer available and were replaced by longer-running services that lead to the Ruhr area. For the timetable change on December 12, 2010, an additional morning ICE was inserted, which reaches Frankfurt Airport at 4.41 am.

In May 2006 the line was to be closed for three days in order to replace two damaged sections of the slab track. These plans were later discarded and the repair should be done by other means.

With the timetable change in December 2006, the service concept on the route was reorganized. In order to be able to drive the route with TGV duplex sets, the SNCF is trying to soften the hitherto mandatory use of the eddy current brake. In this context, test drives with a TGV 2N2 took place in 2011.

Since December 2014, an additional line 47 has been offered on the Dortmund / Düsseldorf / Cologne — Frankfurt / Main — Mannheim — Stuttgart route in order to relieve the high-demand Cologne-Stuttgart axis.

From December 2018, twelve-car ICE 4 trains will be used on the route, initially on individual services. Due to the associated inseparable train length, two additional class 245 tow locomotives will be procured. In order to compensate for the lower top speed compared to the ICE 3, individual stops on the way should be passed through.

In its "long-term planning 202x", DB Netz provides for another line from southern Germany via Cologne Messe / Deutz to Düsseldorf and a two-hourly line from southern Germany to Cologne central station.

In the time horizon of 2030 and beyond, DB Netz is planning another additional line from southern Germany and Cologne Messe / Deutz to Düsseldorf and the two-hour line from southern Germany to Cologne main station will be concentrated at hourly intervals.

technology

The track's slab track, here with sound-absorbing blocks

A total of 620,000 running meters of rails (welded from 120 m long rails) and 420,887 sleepers were laid. A total of 3,300 kilometers of wires, ropes and cables were laid and 400,000 bolts and dowels were installed. For the first time in Germany, the high-speed section was carried out continuously in slab tracks (kilometer 26.1 to Frankfurter Kreuz, excluding the airport long-distance train station), including large bridges. Sound absorbers installed in places are intended to reduce the sound radiation from the roadway. 245,000 cubic meters of HGT , 185,000 cubic meters of trough and 120,000 cubic meters of filler concrete were used for the entire ballastless track . Four different system variants (Heilit, Rheda, Rheda-Berlin and Züblin) were installed in seven sections.

As a result of the short construction time of around twelve months, which was available for the construction of the ballastless track on the entire route, more than 30 special devices had to be constructed in the 127-kilometer section of the Walter-Heilit design (Lot A, part of Lot C) alone become. The cost of the concrete carriageway was around 770,000 euros per kilometer. A total of 36 points were set up. The largest, each 136 meters long, were used at Wallau in the branch towards Wiesbaden . Turnouts that are currently being driven on at more than 200 km / h were designed as clothoid turnouts . At the transfer points , track changes are possible at 130 km / h, platform tracks and track connections in the stations can be driven at 100 km / h.

In October 2007, Deutsche Bahn denied media reports that, due to heavy loads, the rails on the line would have to be completely replaced after around six to seven years of operation.

Suspension of the overhead line in the tunnel with hanging pillars and missing Y-rope

The Orscheid substation near the Rottbitzetunnel is one of six substations on the line

For power supply 4000 were Oberleitungsmasten set in the tunnels of the high-speed section 1600 carry hanger column the overhead line. The contact line system suitable for 300 km / h has been newly developed for the high-speed route. In tunnels, the previously customary widening of the tunnel wall for the tensioning areas of the overhead contact line was no longer necessary due to a new overhead contact line system ( SICAT H1.0 ). A mast spacing of 70 meters with a system height of 1.60 meters was chosen on the open route. Contact wire and support cable are retensioned separately with 27 kilonewtons (contact wire) and 21 kilonewtons (support cable). Due to the reduced installation space in tunnels, the system height is only 1.10 meters here, while the spacing between the support points has been reduced to 50 meters and the Y-ropes have been omitted. The contact wire height is always 5.30 meters.

New substations were built at a distance of around 20 kilometers at Orscheid, Urbach , Montabaur, Limburg, Wörsdorf and Wiesbaden (eastern outskirts). They are remotely controlled from the central switchboard in Borken (Hess) . A new 110 kV traction power line was built over a length of around 110 kilometers between the existing power network at Orscheid (near Bad Honnef ) and Niedernhausen . It runs largely parallel to the new line or bundled with existing overhead lines. Where the parallel position to the line could not be established, the traction current route was bundled with existing 110 kV lines of the public network. The 414 new masts, 20 to 67 meters high and weighing 4 to 21 tons, are between 100 and 380 meters apart. In individual cases (e.g. Lahn crossing in Limburg) more than 500 meters are reached.

The high-speed route (from Frankfurt Airport to the Siegburg / Bonn entrance signal ) is remotely controlled from the Frankfurt operations center via ESTW sub-centers in Montabaur and Frankfurt am Main Airport. Four or five ESTW-A and a total of three amplifier stations are assigned to the control centers. The distance between blocks of the free route is between three and five kilometers. The maximum block distance without LZB (i.e. only covered by light signals) is 36 kilometers (Siegburg to the Willroth crossing point), the distant signal distance is 1,300 meters. In the junction areas of Frankfurt and Cologne and as a fall-back level on the new line, mainly Ks and sometimes H / V light signals are used.

At the start of operation, the line was to be the first German high-speed line to be equipped exclusively with a radio train control system (so-called ETCS Level 2+ ), with later retrofitting to ETCS Level 3 . Light signals should be completely avoided on the section between Siegburg and the Main crossing. When delays became apparent in the specification and implementation of ETCS, the final decision was made in 1998 to use a liner train control system ( LZB L72 CE-II ) that was further developed for the special conditions of the route .

To supply the route with GSM-R train radio, 58 radio masts up to 60 meters high were installed. The new line was the first German line on which only GSM-R was used in regular operation. Furthermore, a continuous supply of public GSM - mobile - including tunnel radio systems in - handy reinforced car guaranteed. Internet access via hotspot has been available in many trains on the high-speed line as part of Railnet since March 2007 . Three VHF radio programs and three BOS radio frequencies are made available via a tunnel radio system with 42 kilometers of high-frequency slotted cable and 70 antenna systems . An emergency power supply ensures twelve-hour operation at full load.

Of the 30 tunnels, 24 were (at least partially) built using the mining method, and six were completely open. The mining tunnels were usually driven using the elm tunnel, often without blasting , with a work performance of one to three meters per day. All tubes, with the exception of the Wandersmann-Nord-Tunnel, are double-track and built using the shotcrete method .

noise protection

Partly dismantled noise barrier near Windhagen due to technical defects (2007)

As early as 2003, the noise, privacy and wind protection walls along the route proved to be unstable and were subsequently partially dismantled in some sections. In 2005 there was a three-month, successful test with a 300 meter long concrete wall. The noise and privacy screens are now to be replaced accordingly. The wind protection walls that are no longer necessary according to new investigations are to be dismantled without replacement (status: March 2007). The costs of the measures amount to around 1,000 euros per running meter. To remedy the defect, DB Netz reached an out-of-court agreement with the guaranteeing construction companies. The total costs for the complete dismantling of the previous and the new construction of noise, wind and glare barriers that are still required over a length of 25 kilometers are around 105 million euros, one third of which is borne by the federal government, Deutsche Bahn and the companies. The pure costs for the renovation of the noise barriers are given as 73.6 million euros. Of this, 28.5 million euros each will be borne by Deutsche Bahn and the construction companies, 16.6 million euros will be borne by the federal government.

The new noise protection walls will be moved 80 centimeters further from the track to the outside in order to reduce pressure and suction. Reinforced aluminum walls are installed on bridges. The entire exchange was completed in June 2010.

In order to ensure the stability of the not yet renovated walls, the elements are subject to constant inspection. Due to the fact that the load on the route is below the planned utilization rate, according to DB, the immission control limit values ​​are not exceeded despite the dismantled noise barriers.

The specially monitored track procedure applies to 23 sections of the route (total length: 30.4 kilometers) .

security concept

The safety concept has been further developed compared to the three new German high-speed lines that went into operation in 1991 and 1998 . Additional safety requirements were also required in the context of an exceptional permit from the Federal Ministry of Transport (according to Section 3 (1) No. 1  EBO ) in order to deviate from the general maximum speed of 250 km / h provided for in Section 40 No. 2, p. 1 EBO to be able to.

View into the Dickheck tunnel with tunnel lighting and emergency telephone (yellow, in the foreground left)

The so-called self - rescue concept of the route, in contrast to the tunnel rescue trains used on earlier routes, primarily relies on the self-rescue of train personnel and passengers. For example, 20 tubes, which are long tunnels (over 1000 meters long) in terms of the tunnel safety guidelines of the Federal Railway Authority, were equipped with emergency exits . These had to be designed so that an emergency exit could be reached within six minutes (500 meters). Signs and handrails point the way to the emergency exits. From there stairs, and in some places also elevators, lead to the outside. The previously used air flow detection systems were also dispensed with. Roll-on pallets have been procured for the fire brigades along the route.

The tunnel safety lighting can be activated from the control center , but also by switches that are installed at a length of 125 meters. 96 cubic meters of extinguishing water was deposited at all emergency exits and at the portals, which can be tapped from a fire-fighting water pipe in the pipe. The concept envisages that emergency services can be at the scene of the accident within 15 minutes. Escape routes at least 1.20 meters wide run on both sides in all tunnels.

Trains traveling on the route must be made of non-combustible materials and have an emergency brake override. The wheelsets of the ICE 3 can run for at least fifteen minutes under full fire conditions. Hot box detection systems are supposed to find hot wheels and fixed brakes .

literature

in alphabetical order by authors / editors

• DB ProjektBau, Frankfurt: New Cologne – Rhine / Main line. The project. Media-Network, Pfungstadt 2001.
• DB ProjektBau GmbH, Frankfurt: New Cologne – Rhine / Main line. Bridges and tunnels. Media-Network, Pfungstadt 2001.
• Wolfgang Feldwisch: New ICE line Cologne – Rhine / Main. Hestra-Verlag, Darmstadt 2002, ISBN 3-7771-0303-9 .
• Felix Möller: 15 years of “human pneumatic tube” - the ICE high-speed route Cologne – Frankfurt . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International 12/2017, p. 634f.
• Scientific Ground Archeology e. V .; State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen, Archeology and Paleontology (Ed.): Archeology under the rails: Archaeological excavations on the Cologne – Rhein / Main express railway line (ICE). Habelt-Verlag, Bonn 2005, ISBN 3-7749-3333-2 .

Web links

Commons : High-speed route Cologne – Rhine / Main  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

NRWbahnarchiv by André Joost:

• Description of route 2651 : Cologne-Deutz (high) ↔ Abzw. Köln Steinstr
• Description of route 2660 : Cologne-Deutz (deep) ↔ Abzw. Köln Gummersbacher Str
• Description of route 2690 : Junction Cologne Steinstrasse ↔ state border (NRW / RP)

Further evidence:

• Literature on the high-speed route Cologne – Rhine / Main in the Hessian Bibliography
• High-speed route Cologne – Rhine / Main. In: Structurae
• Map / aerial photo of the route
• Representation of the infrastructure and permissible speeds on the OpenRailwayMap

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Track price software 2011 ( Memento from May 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (status: October 2010) of DB Netz AG : track length of 180.005 kilometers between Frankfurt (Main) Hbf and Cologne Hbf
2. ^ ^{A b} Walter Mittmann: Planning parameters and standards. In: New ICE line Cologne – Rhine / Main: planning, building, operating. Hestra-Verlag, Darmstadt 2002, ISBN 3-7771-0303-9 , pp. 26-34.
3. ↑ Kluse trough structure. In: eisenbahn-tunnelportale.de. Retrieved August 3, 2017 . 
4. ↑ DB Netze - Infrastructure Register
5. ↑ Railway Atlas Germany . 9th edition. Schweers + Wall, Aachen 2014, ISBN 978-3-89494-145-1 .
6. ^ ^{A b c} Holger Schülke, Herbert Weishaar, Ottmar Grein: Project PXN for the commissioning of the new Cologne – Rhein / Main line. In: Railway technical review . 50, No. 12, 2001, pp. 736-747.
7. ↑ ^{a b c d} German Bundestag: Answer of the Federal Government to the small question of the MPs Dr. Anton Hofreiter, Winfried Hermann, Peter Hettlich, other MPs and the Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen parliamentary group: cost overruns on Deutsche Bahn AG construction projects. (PDF; 122 kB) Printed matter 16/4783 of March 2, 2007.
8. ↑ ^{a b} Huge success: the high-speed route Cologne – Rhine / Main with 220 million passengers in 15 years. Press release. (No longer available online.) Deutsche Bahn, August 1, 2017, archived from the original on August 2, 2017 ; accessed on August 1, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
9. ↑ DB Netz AG : Track price software 2011 ( Memento from May 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Status: October 2010): Track length from Cologne main station to Cologne Steinstraße (Abzw) of 8.996 kilometers.
10. ↑ DB Netz AG : Track price software 2011 ( Memento from May 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Status: October 2010): Track length from Cologne Messe / Deutz station (deep) to Cologne Steinstrasse junction of 7.784 kilometers.
11. ↑ DB Netz AG : Track price software 2011 ( Memento from May 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Status: October 2010): Track length from Cologne main station to Cologne Steinstrasse branch of 13.829 kilometers, via Cologne West and Cologne South Bridge .
12. ↑ DB Netz AG : Track price software 2011 ( Memento from May 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Status: October 2010): Track length from Cologne Airport North to Porz-Wahn South of 15.176 kilometers.
13. ↑ ^{a b c d} Ascent and descent on a new route. In: Railway Journal. Special edition 3/2002, ISBN 3-89610-095-5 , pp. 67-77.
14. ↑ A lot of new things in the north - current status of work in the north construction section. In: On the subject. ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 2/2001, April 2001, pp. 4-6.
15. ↑ DB Netz AG : Track price software 2011 ( Memento from May 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Status: October 2010): Track length from Siegburg / Bonn to Frankfurt Airport long-distance train station of 143.280 kilometers.
16. ↑ ^{a b} DBProjekt GmbH Cologne – Rhein / Main, project management (publisher): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line: construction section middle section A: Königswinter – Dierdorf. Brochure (20 pages), Frankfurt am Main, June 1999, pp. 3 f., 9-12.
17. ↑ DB Projekt GmbH Cologne – Rhein / Main, project management (publisher): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line: construction section middle section B: Selters – Brechen. Brochure (20 pages), Frankfurt am Main January 1999, p. 4.
18. ↑ ^{a b c d} DB Projekt GmbH Cologne – Rhine / Main, project management (publisher): New Cologne – Rhine / Main line: construction section center, Lot C: Huenelden – Eddersheim / Nordenstadt. Brochure (16 pages), Frankfurt am Main: September 1998, p. 2 f., 13.
19. ^ DB Netz AG : Track price software 2011 ( Memento from May 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Status: October 2010): Track length from Breckenheim to Wiesbaden Hbf of 13.039 kilometers.
20. ↑ ^{a b c d e} DB Projekt GmbH Cologne – Rhein / Main, project management (publisher): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line: A concept of today for the traffic of tomorrow. Brochure (28 pages), Frankfurt am Main, March 2000, pp. 12 f., 15
21. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Udo Kandler: Introduction. In: Eisenbahn Journal: Tempo 300 - The new Cologne – Frankfurt line. Special edition 3/2002, ISBN 3-89610-095-5 , pp. 6–11.
22. ^ ^{A b} Wilhelm Blind: Setting the course for the new Cologne – Rhine / Main line . In: The Federal Railroad . No. 2 , 1990, p. 189-194 .
23. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Group for General Studies of the Deutsche Bundesbahn (Hrsg.): High-speed route for the main traffic flows in the Bundesbahn network . Study completed September 1964, pp. 5, 6.
24. ↑ New Cologne – Koblenz line . In: The Federal Railroad . tape 57 , no. 12 , 1981, p. 979 .
25. ^ Helmut Raab: Tunnel fire protection on the new lines of the Deutsche Bundesbahn . In: 112 - The magazine of the fire brigade , ISSN  0942-0134 , issue 11/1985, pp. 602–610.
26. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Wilhelm Blind; Josef Busse; Günter Moll: Regional planning for the new Cologne – Rhein / Main line. In: The Federal Railroad . 11/1990, pp. 1057-1065.
27. ^ ^{A b c} Deutsche Bundesbahn, Federal Railway Directorate Cologne, Main Department N., Press Office: New Cologne-Rhein / Main line: section in North Rhine-Westphalia. Brochure (20 A4 pages) from March 1992, Cologne 1992.
28. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Deutsche Bahn: The new Cologne – Rhine / Main line: a core element. In: Die Bahn informs. No. 4, 1989, pp. 8-10.
29. ↑ Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan '85 adopted . In: Railway technical review . tape 34 , no. 10 , 1985, pp. 765 .
30. ↑ ^{a b c d e} pan to the west . In: Der Spiegel , Issue 45, 1989, pp. 157–161.
31. ↑ ^{a b} Federal Ministry of Transport, Project Group Corridor Investigations in the BMV (Ed.): Investigation of investments in traffic routes in selected corridors in the Federal Republic of Germany: Report of the project group "Corridor Investigations" in the Federal Ministry of Transport. Verlag Neue Presse, Coburg 1974, ( series of publications by the Federal Minister of Transport. Issue 47), p. 31.
32. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Wilhelm Blind: Cologne – Frankfurt (M) in one hour. In: Railway technical review . 41, No. 7/8, July / August 1992, pp. 475-484.
33. ↑ German Bundestag: Answer of the federal government to a small question (...): Saving possibilities through new routing of railways for high-speed traffic taking into account the tilting train technology. (PDF; 335 kB). Printed matter 13/2130 of August 10, 1995.
34. ↑ On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , special issue, December 1995, p. 3.
35. ↑ New ways into the future . In: Die Bahn informs , ZDB -ID 2003143-9 , issue 2/1985, p. 5 f.
36. ↑ Jürgen Grübmeier, Roland Heinisch : Planning for the rail network of the future. In: Reiner Gohlke , Knut Reimers (ed.): Yearbook of the railway system . Hestra-Verlag, Darmstadt 1985, ( Yearbook of the Railway System. Volume 36), pp. 30–39.
37. ↑ ^{a b c} Deutsche Bundesbahn, press and public relations (ed.): DB board welcomes decision for the new Cologne – Rhine / Main line. Press release from July 19, 1989.
38. ↑ ^{a b c} A veteran is leaving Deutsche Bahn. In: DB Welt , July / August 2007 edition, p. 15.
39. ↑ Federal Railway Office, Frankfurt / Main branch (ed.): Planning approval according to § 18 (1) AEG for the Cologne-Rhine / Main, Wörsdorf railway line, km 2,131,900 to km 2,135,430. Part 32.2, Ref .: 1024 - P - FFM-1 - 0066 - 94 . Frankfurt 1997, p. 159.
40. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Roland Heinisch : The ICE 3 on the Cologne – Rhein / Main line: A technological leap in the railroad system. In: Railway technical review . 51, No. 12, 2002, pp. 761-766.
41. ↑ Wolfgang Stegers: The German super trains: What they can and what not. In: Peter Moosleitner's interesting magazine . No. 12, 1988, p. 15.
42. ^ German Bundestag (ed.): Answer of the Federal Government to a small question from the Member of Parliament Dr. Klaus-Dieter Feige and the BÜNDNIS 90 / DIE GRÜNEN group: Economic efficiency of the “ICE new routes” - printed matter 12/8381 - (PDF; 262 kB). Printed matter 12/8476 of September 12, 1994.
43. ↑ ^{a b} Without author: Review of the year 1988. In: Die Bundesbahn . Vol. 65, No. 1, 1989, p. 62.
44. ↑ ^{a b c d e} New Cologne – Rhein / Main line In: Die Bundesbahn No. 9, 1989, p. 806 f.
45. ↑ DBProjekt GmbH Cologne – Rhein / Main, project management (publisher): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line: A concept of today for the traffic of tomorrow. Brochure (28 pages), Frankfurt am Main, March 2000, p. 11.
46. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} Walter Engels; Wilfried Zieße: The new Cologne – Rhine / Main line - an interim result. In: The Federal Railroad . 10/1991, pp. 965-975.
47. ↑ ^{a b} German Bundestag: Management of the trains accelerated on the new ICE line Cologne - Rhine / Main at the Cologne node (PDF; 304 kB). Answer of the federal government to a small question. Printed matter 13/8422 of August 26, 1997.
48. ↑ Rhineland-Palatinate wants to exhaust all legal remedies. In: Handelsblatt , July 20, 1989.
49. ^ ^{A b c} Deutsche Bahn: Review of the year 1989. In: Die Bahn informs. No. 1, 1990, pp. 12-15.
50. ^ ^{A b} Klaus Dickhut: Rail connection to Cologne / Bonn Airport. In: Railway technical review . 50, No. 10, 2001, pp. 594-601.
51. ↑ The Federal Minister of Transport (ed.): Federal Transport Route Plan 1985 - Status of Realization . Annex to the status report of the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 1985 and the German Transport Infrastructure Plan. Bonn October 2, 1990, p. 41 .
52. ↑ ^{a b c} Deutsche Bahn AG (Ed.): Seven fairy-tale stories about the new DB line Cologne – Rhine / Main. Berlin, approx. 2002, OCLC 699517296 , p. 9.
53. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Peter Kaniut, Egbert Form: The role of the EBA in major DB AG projects using the example of the Cologne – Rhein / Main line. In: Railway technical review . 51, No. 9, 2002, pp. 554-564.
54. ^ Rüdiger Block: ICE racetrack: the new lines. In: Eisenbahn-Kurier Special: High-speed traffic . No. 21, 1991, pp. 36-45.
55. ↑ The new Cologne – Rhine / Main line in North Rhine-Westphalia one step further. In: Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau , Volume 42 (1993), Issue 9, p. 555.
56. ↑ ^{a b c d} Without an author: The planning stage. In: Eisenbahn JOURNAL: Tempo 300 - The new Cologne – Frankfurt line. In: Eisenbahn Journal , special edition 3/2002, ISBN 3-89610-095-5 , pp. 12-17.
57. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h} Without an author: Timeline - chronology of a route. In: Eisenbahn Journal , special edition 3/2002, ISBN 3-89610-095-5 , p. 86 f.
58. ↑ ^{a b} Nature conservation versus ICE route. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 9, 1998, p. 340.
59. ^ Brochure Bahn Akzente. Deutsche Bundesbahn, headquarters, press and public relations, edition 7/1990.
60. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} high-speed line Cologne - Rhine / Main. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 10/2002, pp. 456–459.
61. ↑ DBProjekt GmbH Cologne – Rhein / Main, project management (publisher): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line: A concept of today for the traffic of tomorrow. Brochure (28 pages), Frankfurt am Main, March 2000, p. 17.
62. ↑ Track price software 2011 ( Memento from May 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (status: October 2010) of DB Netz AG : track length of 21.427 kilometers between Limburg (Lahn) south and Montabaur (long-distance railway)
63. ^ ^{A b} Deutsche Bahn AG, network division, NBS Cologne – Rhein / Main, project management (publisher): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line: Hesse area, planning section PA 32, Wallrabenstein - Wörsdorf - Idstein - Niedernhausen. six-page leporello, Frankfurt am Main, 1995.
64. ^ New line Cologne – Rhine / Main - project group NBS Frankfurt am Main of the Bahnbauzentrale (publisher): New line Cologne – Rhine / Main in Hesse: Section Hünstetten – Wiesbaden / Hattersheim. Leporello, Frankfurt, approx. 1992.
65. ↑ ICE freight trains? In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 12/1997, p. 550.
66. ↑ 30 minutes faster to Paris. In: mobile . November 2009, p. 56.
67. ^ University of Hanover, Institute for Transport, Railway Construction and Operation (Ed.): Concept for an ICE region on the Cologne-Rhein / Main NBS . Hanover, June 1994.
68. ↑ Arguments and views. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 6/2000, December 2000, p. 12.
69. ↑ On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , special issue, December 1995, p. 2.
70. ↑ ^{a b} Tunnel structures - tender, award and technology. In: ICE new line Cologne – Rhine / Main . Hestra-Verlag, Darmstadt 2002, ISBN 3-7771-0303-9 , pp. 48-57.
71. ↑ Over all mountains. In: mobile . April 2002, pp. 38-41.
72. ↑ Source is missing
73. ↑ ^{a b c d e} A decade for 58 minutes. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . July 12, 2001.
74. ↑ ^{a b} DBProjekt GmbH Cologne – Rhein / Main, project management (publisher): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line: North construction section: Cologne – Sankt Augustin. Brochure (18 pages), Frankfurt am Main, February 2000, pp. 3, 17.
75. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} Without author: The project for the new Cologne – Rhein / Main line. In: Eisenbahn JOURNAL: Tempo 300 - The new Cologne – Frankfurt line. In: Eisenbahn Journal , special edition 3/2002, ISBN 3-89610-095-5 , pp. 34–63.
76. ↑ ^{a b} G. Blaasch: The new line between Cologne and Frankfurt. ( Memento from June 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) In: Tiefbau. 2000, No. 7, pp. 396-406.
77. ^ Alfred Eggert: Limburger Tunnel: a near-surface tunnel under critical development. In: DB ProjektBau , Frankfurt (ed.): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line. Bridges and tunnels. Pp. 80-85.
78. ↑ Arguments and views. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 4/2000, August 2000, p. 12.
79. ↑ ^{a b} Kurt-Dieter Eschenburg: New Cologne – Rhein / Main line: Awarding of construction services based on a functional description of services. In: Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau 46 (1997), September, pp. 543-547.
80. ↑ New Cologne – Rhine / Main line. Contract award: Radio train control replaces conventional signals. In: Railway technical review . 45, No. 12, 1996, p. 809.
81. ↑ Billion holes . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 10, year 1999, p. 401.
82. ↑ ^{a b} DB ProjektBau, Cologne – Rhein / Main Project management (publisher): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line. Hessen: South Main section of Raunheim – Frankfurt Airport – Frankfurt-Sportfeld / Zeppelinheim. folded brochure, six pages, June 1998.
83. ↑ Start of construction: NBS Cologne – Rhein / Main. In: Railway technical review . 45, no., 1996, p. 88.
84. ^ NBS Cologne - Rhein / Main later. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 3, 1999, p. 59.
85. ↑ Realization of the new line is progressing. In: Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau , June 1997 edition (46th volume), p. 313.
86. ↑ Planning orders for six tunnels. In: Railway technical review . 48, No. 1/2, 1999, p. 87.
87. ↑ ^{a b c} Rupert Sternath: tunnels in the project new Cologne-Rhine / Main. In: DB ProjektBau, Frankfurt (ed.): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line. Bridges and tunnels. Pp. 44-49.
88. ↑ ^{a b Relocation of} freeway for narrow route bundling. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , issue April 1998, p. 10 f.
89. ^ DBProjekt Köln-Rhein / Main (Ed.): On the subject. Issue 2/97, April 1997, Frankfurt am Main, p. 5.
90. ↑ ^{a b} Today's concept for tomorrow's traffic. Brochure (20 pages DIN A4), Frankfurt am Main, May 2002.
91. ↑ Construction progress. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 8-9 / 2000, p. 340.
92. ↑ In 120 meter steps in the direction of Taunus - laying of rails in lot C. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 2/2001, April 2001, p. 10 f.
93. ↑ Christian singer; Stefan Hofmann: With high pressure under the victory. In: DB ProjektBau, Frankfurt (ed.): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line. Bridges and tunnels. Pp. 50-59.
94. ↑ ^{a b} NBS Cologne - Rhine / Main. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 4/2001, p. 146.
95. ↑ Arguments and views. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 1/2002, February 2002, p. 12.
96. ↑ Niederpleis: last tunnel breakthrough; Victory flows again in the old bed; Old weir at Wörsbach removed. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 5/2000, October 2000, p. 7. f.
97. ↑ ^{a b c} Implementation of the compensation measures before the conclusion. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 3/2002, June 2002, pp. 4-7.
98. ↑ Implementation of off-line compensation measures. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 4/2000, August 2000, pp. 4–7.
99. ^ Deutsche Bahn AG (Ed.): Seven fairy tale stories about the new DB line Cologne – Rhine / Main. Brochure, Berlin, no year (approx. 2002), p. 34.
100. ↑ ^{a b} NBS Cologne - Rhine / Main. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 4, 1999, p. 114.
101. ↑ The new Cologne – Rhine / Main line goes into operation in 2002. In: Railway technical review . 48, No. 3, 1999, p. 97.
102. ↑ Commissioning of the new Cologne – Rhine / Main line in the final phase. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 6/2001, December 2001, pp. 4-6.
103. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Without author: construction locomotives, test drives, driving operations. In: Eisenbahn Journal , special edition 3/2002, ISBN 3-89610-095-5 , pp. 78–85.
104. ↑ Connection to Cologne / Bonn Airport; Bridge insertion in Troisdorf; Hiking is ...; First ICE test drives. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 5/2001, October 2001, p. 7 f.
105. ↑ Construction progress on the NBS Cologne - Rhein / Main. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 10/2001, p. 427.
106. ↑ ICE starts its maiden voyage towards Cologne In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of October 23, 2001.
107. ↑ catenary to Steinstrasse under power; Test drives in the north. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 2/2002, April 2002, p. 8.
108. ^ Ernst Reuss: The operational use of the ICE 3 - fleet average mileage at world record level. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 1/2004, p. 14 f.
109. ↑ Arguments and views. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 3/2002, June 2002, p. 12.
110. ↑ Trial operation on the NBS Cologne – Frankfurt. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 3/2002, p. 114.
111. ↑ Letter. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 8-9 / 2002, p. 354 f.
112. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} Official opening trip. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 4/2002, pp. 4-6.
113. ↑ ^{a b} Halfway in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of July 26, 2002.
114. ↑ ^{a b c} Opening of the new Cologne - Rhine / Main line. In: Eisenbahnkurier , Heft 360 (9/2002), 2002, p. 6.
115. ↑ ^{a b c} At 300 km / h between Frankfurt and Cologne In: faz.net , August 1, 2002.
116. ↑ Ceremonial conclusion of a major project. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 4/2002, p. 10.
117. ↑ Start of shuttle traffic on August 1, 2002 at 5:38 a.m. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 4/2002, pp. 7–9.
118. ↑ Commissioning in two stages. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 2/2002, April 2002, pp. 4-7.
119. ↑ 80,000 passengers use the ICE. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , Rhine / Main regional section, No. 241, September 3, 2002, p. 41.
120. ↑ Fundamental changes to the timetable change. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 6/2002, p. 258 f.
121. ↑ The technology strategy of Deutsche Bahn AG (2nd part). In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 5/2003, pp. 202-204.
122. ↑ White Train, Green Banana and Black Peter. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , March 4, 2003.
123. ↑ Breakdowns on the new line. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 3/2003, p. 99.
124. ↑ Observations on train traffic on the Cologne - Rhine / Main line. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 6/2003, p. 287.
125. ↑ "Slow travel for the new Cologne – Rhine / Main line". In: Eisenbahn-Journal . 15, No. 8, 1989, ISSN  0720-051X , p. 51.
126. ↑ NBS Cologne – Rhein / Main: maximum funding amount of 7.75 billion DM. In: Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau . 45, No. 1/2, 1996, p. 85.
127. ↑ German Bundestag: Federal Government's response to a small question (...): Noise protection along the ICE route of the new Cologne – Rhine / Main line (PDF; 394 kB). Printed matter 13/5623 of September 26, 1996.
128. ↑ Rupert Sternath: The tunnels of the new Cologne-Rhine / Main - opportunities for cost savings . In: Tunnel technology for future tasks in Europe . Balekma-Verlag, Rotterdam 1999, ISBN 90-5809-051-5 , pp. 73-81.
129. ↑ After cost increases: Unified project management. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 7/2000, p. 292.
130. ↑ ICE route now costs ten billion marks. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of August 23, 2001.
131. ↑ DB's positive traffic record. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 5/2002, p. 210.
132. ↑ Martin Murphy: Cartel of Silence . In: Handelsblatt . No. 239, December 10, 2012, p. 10 (similar version online ).
133. ↑ Loss of the train less than planned. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , March 14, 2002.
134. ↑ ^{a b} Federal Audit Office: Comments on the budget and economic management of the federal government 2007 (PDF; 1.5 MB), p. 26.
135. ↑ Bundesrechnungshof: Comments 2008 on the budget and economic management of the federal government (PDF; 1.8 MB), p. 21.
136. ↑ Scientist advises demolition of ICE route. In: Ostthüringer Zeitung , November 28, 2007.
137. ^ "Nobody needs Stuttgart 21 station" . In: the daily newspaper , October 23, 2006.
138. ↑ Track price software 2011 ( Memento from May 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Status: October 2010) of DB Netz AG : Track length of 223.244 kilometers between Frankfurt (Main) Hbf and Cologne Hbf via Frankfurt am Main Airport Regionalbf , Mainz Hbf , Koblenz Hbf and Bonn Hbf
139. ↑ Track price software 2011 ( Memento from May 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (Status: October 2010) of DB Netz AG : Track length of 221.080 kilometers between Frankfurt (Main) Hbf and Cologne Hbf via Frankfurt am Main Airport long-distance train station , Koblenz Hbf and Bonn Central Station
140. ↑ German Bundestag: German Bundestag: The Federal Government's answer to the minor question from MPs Winfried Hermann, Dr. Anton Hofreiter, Peter Hettlich, other MPs and the parliamentary group BÜNDNIS 90 / DIE GRÜNEN - Printed matter 16/7104 - (PDF; 69 kB). In: Drucksache 16/7371 , November 29, 2007.
141. ↑ Bahn denies losses from ICE line. In: Rheinische Post. July 25, 2003, accessed October 16, 2019 . 
142. ↑ ^{a b} Wolfgang Schubert: Frankfurt – Cologne, a quota hit of the railway . In: Frankfurter Rundschau . August 1, 2007, p. 5 .
143. ^ Deutsche Bahn AG: 36 percent more passengers on the ICE between Cologne and Frankfurt. Press release from August 1, 2007.
144. ↑ Ten years Tempo 300 . In: mobile . August 2012, p. 48.
145. ↑ ^{a b} Deutsche Bahn AG (Ed.): "We give you an hour for free": Ten years of the high-speed route Cologne – Rhine / Main ( online )
146. ↑ Fast rail connection: Lufthansa cancels flights Cologne - Frankfurt. In: Eurailpress.de. September 27, 2007, archived from the original on August 4, 2012 ; accessed on February 14, 2019 . 
147. ↑ AG Lufthansa: AIRail with shorter check-in times from Cologne and Stuttgart - in future also from Siegburg / Bonn. Press release from October 24, 2007.
148. ↑ German Bundestag (Ed.): Answer of the Federal Government to the small question of the MPs Dr. Christian Jung, Nicole Westig, Frank Sitta, other MPs and the FDP parliamentary group - printed matter 19/12135 - . Train lengths in Germany. tape 19 , no. 12477 . Bundesanzeiger Verlag , August 16, 2019, ISSN  0722-8333 , p. 2 ( BT-Drs. 19/12477 ).
149. ^ Hans-Peter Günther: Rails exchanged on ICE routes . In: Westerwälder Zeitung . May 15, 2015, p. 19 .
150. ↑ Construction work on the high-speed line Cologne – Rhine / Main. In: deutschebahn.com. Deutsche Bahn, August 16, 2018, archived from the original on August 16, 2018 ; accessed on May 12, 2019 . 
151. ↑ Birgit Marschall: The embankment fire in Siegburg is not an isolated incident. In: RP Online . August 9, 2018, accessed October 13, 2018 . 
152. ↑ ^{a b} Restriction of use after ICE 3 fire near Dierdorf . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 2/2019 , 2019, p. 69 .
153. ↑ schr / an: ICE-3 fire on the high-speed route Cologne - Rhine / Main . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International 12/2016, p. 628 f.
154. ↑ Trains run again on the high-speed Cologne-Rhine / Main line. Press release. Deutsche Bahn, October 20, 2018, accessed on October 21, 2018 . 
155. ↑ The high-speed Cologne-Rhine / Main line will again be double-tracked from November 18. Press release. Deutsche Bahn, October 26, 2018, accessed on October 26, 2018 . 
156. ^ ICE traffic on the Cologne-Rhein / Main high-speed line will be back to schedule from November 18. Press release. Deutsche Bahn, November 16, 2018, accessed on February 15, 2019 . 
157. ↑ ^{a b} Federal Agency for Railway Accident Investigation : Investigation report on vehicle fire at the Üst Willroth - Montabaur site on October 12, 2018 . File number: BEU-uu2018-10 / 005-3323, as of March 24, 2020.
158. ^ KBS 472 Cologne - Frankfurt . In: Bahn-Report . No. 1 , 2020, p. 56 f .
159. ^ Matthias Bartsch, Matthias Gebauer, Fidelius Schmid, Gerald Traufetter: Rail traffic: Attempt attempt on ICE route in Hesse. In: Der Spiegel. March 20, 2020, accessed March 21, 2020 . 
160. ↑ [1]
161. ↑ ^{a b c} Nahverkehr Rheinland GmbH , SMA and Partner AG (ed.): Node investigation Cologne . January 24, 2012, “Version 1-00”, p. 24 f, 36, 45, 71 (derived short version as PDF ( memento of the original from September 25, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet Checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this note. ). 
162. ↑ German Bundestag (Ed.): Answer of the Federal Government to the small question of the MPs Matthias Gastel, Stefan Gelbhaar, Stephan Kühn (Dresden), other MPs and the parliamentary group BÜNDNIS 90 / DIE GRÜNEN - printed matter 19/10271 - . Results of the “Fulda Round” 2019. Volume 19 , no. 10571 . Bundesanzeiger Verlag , June 3, 2019, ISSN  0722-8333 , p. 2 ( BT-Drs. 19/10571 ).
163. ↑ German Bundestag: The Federal Government's answer to the minor question from MPs Bettina Herlitzius, Dr. Anton Hofreiter, Winfried Hermann, other MPs and the Alliance 90 / THE GREENS parliamentary group: Planning status and budget of the Rhein-Ruhr-Express (PDF; 75 kB). Printed matter 17/171 of December 22, 2009.
164. ↑ ^{a b} Top meeting at the Cologne railway junction . In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger , June 24, 2007.
165. ↑ ^{a b} Julian Preuten: Apartment houses in Kalk can stay . In: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger (online edition), December 4, 2012.
166. ↑ Deutsche Bahn is expanding the ICE high-speed line in Cologne. In: DB Welt , January 2010 edition, West regional section, p. 23.
167. ↑ ^{a b} Cologne node: Disclosure of the planning documents for the plan approval section (PFA) 13 "Cologne-Vingst". Press release. Deutsche Bahn, March 3, 2017, archived from the original on March 6, 2017 ; Retrieved March 5, 2017 . 
168. ↑ ^{a b} Cologne node: expansion south of Gummersbacher Strasse - information on the disclosure at the city of Cologne's building administration office. (PDF) DB Netz, 2017, p. 5 , archived from the original on March 6, 2017 ; accessed on March 6, 2017 . 
169. ^ DB Netz (Ed.): Cologne node: expansion south of Gummersbacher Strasse (ASG) . August 2016, p. 3 ( deutschebahn.com [PDF]).
170. ↑ Planning approval decision according to § 18 AEG for the project "NBS / node Cologne, PFA 11, expansion south of Gummersbacher Straße (ASG)" in the city of Cologne construction km 2,338 - 4,234 of the NBS Cologne-Rhein / Main. (PDF) Federal Railway Office , October 14, 2019, accessed on March 21, 2020 . 
171. ↑ Plan amendment resolution To amend the plan approval resolution in accordance with § 18 AEG in conjunction with § 76 Paragraph 1 VwVfG for the project “5. Plan change PFA 12 NBS Cologne-Rhein-Main "in the city of Cologne construction km 4.234 - 6.232 of the NBS Cologne-Rhein / Main line. (PDF) Federal Railway Office, March 6, 2020, p. 60 , accessed on March 21, 2020 . 
172. ↑ ^{a b} Plan amendment resolution To amend the plan approval resolution in accordance with § 18 AEG in conjunction with § 76 para. 1 VwVfG for the project “8. Change of plan PFA 13 NBS Cologne-Rhein / Main "in the city of Cologne construction km 5.450 - 8,200 of the NBS Cologne-Rhein / Main line. (PDF) Federal Railway Office, March 1, 2020, pp. 24, 59 , accessed on March 21, 2020 . 
173. ^ Cologne node - expansion south of Gummersbacher Strasse (ASG). In: bauprojekte.deutschebahn.com. Deutsche Bahn, accessed on September 15, 2018 ("Resident Info" tab). 
174. ^ Deutsche Bahn AG: Frankfurt RheinMain ^plus . The project. The railway junction. The rail infrastructure. (Status 2009) ( Memento from January 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). 32-page brochure dated June 2009, (PDF; 1.6 MB), p. 13.
175. ↑ New rail connection planned between Wiesbaden and Frankfurt Airport . In: Frankfurter Neue Presse . January 13, 2016, p. 23 .
176. ↑ The railway system is to be digitized. Press release. Deutsche Bahn, September 19, 2018, accessed September 30, 2018 . 
177. ↑ Feasibility study for the rollout of ETCS / DSTW. (PDF) Summary of the results. McKinsey & Company , December 2018, pp. 20, 33 , accessed April 13, 2019 . 
178. ↑ Bavaria gets the first digital interlocking on a main line in Germany. Press release. Deutsche Bahn, June 10, 2019, accessed on June 10, 2019 . 
179. ↑ #Digital Rail. Press release. Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, January 31, 2020, accessed on February 2, 2020 . 
180. ↑ ERTMS: Corridor A comes before the starter pack . In: The Railway Engineer . tape 70 , no. November 11 , 2019, p. 60 .
181. ↑ Alexander Lanz: Draft of the Germany clock and previous results of the knot studies in Frankfurt and Mannheim. (PDF) Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, February 8, 2019, p. 16 , accessed on February 16, 2019 . 
182. ↑ Target timetable Germany-Takt: First expert draft long-distance traffic. (PDF) SMA und Partner , October 9, 2018, accessed on October 21, 2018 . 
183. ↑ Destination timetable Germany-Takt. (PDF) Second expert draft for long-distance transport. SMA und Partner AG , May 7, 2019, accessed on June 19, 2019 . 
184. ↑ ^{a b c d} Joachim Görge: New Cologne – Rhein / Main line - new concept for control and safety technology. In: Eisenbahntechnische Rundschau , 46 (1997), July / August, pp. 477-480.
185. ↑ World Speed ​​Survey 2007: New lines boost rail's high speed performance. In: Railway Gazette. Railway Gazette Group, September 4, 2007, accessed August 17, 2019 . 
186. ↑ Fewer trains to Cologne ( Memento from May 5, 2015 in the Internet Archive ). In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (online edition), September 20, 2007.
187. ↑ Information on the timetable change on December 12th . Press release from October 29, 2010.
188. ↑ NBS is blocked for three days. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 4/2006, p. 158.
189. ^ Corrigendum. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 6/2006, p. 272.
190. ↑ Wolfgang Hanke: Changed operation of the Cologne – Rhein / Main line from December 2006 . In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . No. 10 , 2006, p. 522 .
191. ↑ Heinz Kurz : InterCityExpress: The development of high-speed traffic in Germany . EK-Verlag, Freiburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-88255-228-7 , p. 223.
192. ↑ TGV in the test: French high-speed train roars on the ICE route between Cologne and Frankfurt . In: Rhein-Zeitung (online edition), April 14, 2011.
193. ↑ ^{a b} Current information from the vehicle sector (part 1) . In: Union of German Locomotive Drivers (Ed.): Advance . No. 7 , July 2017, ISSN  1438-0099 , p. 24-26 .
194. ↑ ^{a b} 412 . In: turntable . tape 36 , no. 287 , May 2018, p. 14 .
195. ↑ ^{a b} Solid speed and comfort: the slab track. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 5/2000, October 2000, pp. 4-6.
196. ↑ Bringfried Belter, Rudolf Ditzen: Slab track on the NBS Cologne – Rhein / Main - first experiences and evaluation. In: Railway technical review . 49, No. 9, 2000, pp. 597-605.
197. ^ The longest single structure between Cologne and Frankfurt. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 3/2002, June 2002, pp. 9-11.
198. ↑ Alexander von Wilcken, Walter Fleischer, Hagen Lieschke: Production of slab track Rheda type Walter-Heilit with two-block sleeper, on the Cologne – Rhein / Main line. In: Railway technical review . 51, No. 4, 2002, pp. 172-182.
199. ↑ ICE route Cologne-Frankfurt becomes a grave of millions . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. October 25, 2007.
200. ↑ R. Sternath: DB new line Cologne-Rhein / Main: Experience in the implementation of functional tenders in tunnel construction. In: Tiefbau-Berufsgenossenschaft (Ed.): Occupational health and safety in tunnel construction , Munich, 1999; Proceedings of the 1998 Tunneling Conference, November 2nd to 4th, 1998 at the Professional Association Academy for Occupational Safety and Administration (BGA) in Hennef / Sieg, pp. 13–21.
201. ^ Kießling, Puschmann, Schmieder, Schneider: Contact Lines for Electric Railways. 2nd Edition. Publicis Publishing, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-89578-322-7 , p. 240.
202. ↑ ^{a b} DBProjekt GmbH Cologne – Rhein / Main, project management (publisher): New Cologne – Rhein / Main line: construction section middle section A: Königswinter – Dierdorf. Brochure (20 pages), Frankfurt am Main, June 1999, p. 18.
203. ↑ ^{a b c d} DB Project Cologne – Rhein / Main (Ed.): On the subject. Issue June 1999, Frankfurt am Main, p. 8.
204. ↑ Manfred Frank: Extension of the LZB system for the Cologne – Rhine / Main line . In: signal + wire . tape 95 , no. 10 , 2003, p. 31-33 .
205. ↑ GSM-R - a good connection. In: On the subject , ZDB -ID 2115698-0 , edition 1/2002, February 2002, p. 4f.
206. ↑ 30 new ICE tunnels offer mobile phone reception. on pte.at from February 20, 2003.
207. ^ Deutsche Bahn AG: Internet access in the ICE is being expanded. Press release from March 14, 2007.
208. ↑ New radio system secures railway tunnels. In: Railway technical review . 48, No. 1/2, 1999, p. 88.
209. ↑ ICE line will again become a major construction site . In: Generalanzeiger Bonn , November 10, 2006.
210. ↑ ICE windbreak walls do not have to be replaced . In: Generalanzeiger Bonn , March 1, 2007.
211. ↑ German Bundestag: Answer of the federal government to the minor question of the MPs Horst Friedrich (Bayreuth), Patrick Döring, Joachim Günther (Plauen), other MPs and the parliamentary group of the FDP: Noise abatement on the ICE route Cologne – Frankfurt (PDF; 66 kB ). Printed matter 16/9675, July 4, 2008.
212. ↑ Cracks in the noise protection: the railway has to have the Cologne-Frankfurt route renovated ( memento of September 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) In: Wiesbadener Kurier from October 16, 2009.
213. ↑ Federation of Taxpayers Germany e. V: (Ed.): The public waste 2010. Berlin 2010, p. 4.
214. ↑ Bahn builds on concrete in the Siebengebirge . In: General-Anzeiger Bonn , February 21, 2009.
215. ↑ New noise protection walls completed on the high-speed line Cologne – Frankfurt ( Memento from June 20, 2016 in the Internet Archive ). Press release from Züblin AG, June 23, 2010.
216. ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: ICE noise protection walls ailing  ( page no longer available , search in web archives ). In: Idsteiner Zeitung , December 20, 2007.
217. ↑ German Bundestag: Answer of the Federal Government to the minor question from MPs Jan Mücke, Michael Kauch, Horst Friedrich (Bayreuth), other MPs and the FDP parliamentary group - Printed matter 16/6673 - (PDF, 12 pages, 70 kB)
218. ↑ Guideline requirements of fire and disaster control for the construction and operation of railway tunnels. Status: November 1, 2001.
219. ↑ ^{a b c} The emergency brake must not work in the tunnel. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , March 5, 2001.
220. ↑ News in brief. In: Eisenbahn-Revue International . Issue 3/2001, p. 106.

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